Keeping Up Appearances
by ElissuhSlytherin
Summary: A year after the war,Hermione goes to finish her last year at Hogwarts.A series of threatening letters let her know the worst isn't over and someone will stop at nothing to kill nnon up to Ootp,AU after.SS/HG, DM/HP
1. Chapter 1

"Hermione! What the hell is going on up there?" yelled Hermione's mother, Diane.

"Just a minute!" Hermione yelled back. She stood up from where she was sitting Indian style on the floor and stretched. Walking to her bedroom door, she opened it and yelled down to her mom, "Sorry! I'm just cleaning; going through some things in my room."

"Don't yell from the stairs! Come down here and talk!" her mother yelled up at her. Hermione smirked at the contradiction in her mother's words and started down the stairs.

"Sorry, mom," Hermione started, rushing her words a bit. "I was trying to pack for school, but I realized that I had outgrown some of my robes. So I started going through my robes, which led me to go through my other clothes. After that, I had a pile of clothes and robes that I no longer wanted or fit in, lying on my floor. Since I wanted a space to pack thoroughly, I decided to put those clothes in bags so you can give the clothing bag to charity, and I can donate my old robes to the shop in Diagon Alley. THEN, I decided I was already going through old stuff anyway, so then I went through all my old books and notes and other school things from my trunk and started throwing them into their OWN trash pile. That all led me to start going through everything I have in my room an-"

"Ok ok ok! I get it. Really. I do," interrupted her mom. "Is everything ok, honey? I know you've been upset these past few weeks." Her mother watched as Hermione refused to meet her mother's eyes. "Baby girl, I know it's hard, but don't let grief make you do anything rash, ok?"

Hermione met her mother's stare, her cinnamon eyes turned flat, and her tone matched as she said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just trying to do a little cleaning. This has nothing to do with any GRIEF." She said the last word like it was a disease; something to be shameful of. "If I want to put aside old pictures, I will. I don't need to carry around my past with me everywhere I go." With that, Hermione turned and started back up the stairs, but before she had gone two steps, her mother's hand was turning her daughter back to her.

"Hermione Jean, listen to me. I know how it feels to lose a friend; lose someone you love. Your past is something that can't be, and shouldn't be, forgotten. I can understand you leaving pictures and other trinkets behind, but I'm just pleading that you don't get upset and destroy them, or throw them away. You'll regret it. I know I heard some things crash up there, and I know the difference between something landing in a junk pile, and something breaking. When you get back upstairs, why don't you use one of those spells and put it back together? That's what your magic is there for, right?" Her mother attempted a small smile, trying to get through to her daughter.

"The problem, mother," Hermione said coldly, "is that while breaking a picture frame or anything else might be able to be put together again using magic, there's no way I can _reparo_ my past." With that, Hermione turned and stalked back up the stairs, and this time, her mother didn't try to stop her.

XXX

Back in her room, Hermione slammed the door and took a look around. It was true, there were bags full of clothes and robes ready for donating, among other random items she had found while pilfering through her room. Last year, when she was walking around Diagon Alley amongst the "Trio", she had noticed many more shops. Usually when she went school shopping, it was with her parents and, being muggles, they didn't want to be there too long. Like her, they didn't like being out of place or confused. Therefore, she had never gotten to really explore the Alley, and see its entire splendor, so to speak.

That's when she had seen Lady Lacy's Second Treasures, and dragged the two boys with her. She fell in love with the second-hand shop right away. The stuff people gave away! Just the book section of the store was enough to keep her occupied, which turned out to be ok since the boys wandered off to the sports section to look at cheap second-hand quidditch gear. She was ecstatic when the lady at the counter told her that with every bag of donations made, she would get 10% off her next order. By the time they were ready to leave, Hermione had 4 books that she felt she HAD to have, as well as some new clothes. She had started filling out more the last year, and now looked "like a girl" according to Harry. Harry had left with a Wales Eagles quidditch jersey he had been excited to find in the male section, along with a black rubber band decorated with snitches meant to attach to the backs of glasses to hold them in place while flying, and some aviator style sunglasses, obviously donated by a muggle-born. They all laughed at Harry trying to look suave in them, and he claimed that they were the only sunglasses that would fit over his glasses, and the fact that he looked good in them was just an added bonus. Ron had-

_Stop. Don't think about that. _Hermione told herself. _It's bad enough he haunts your dreams; don't let him in your day thoughts as well._

Hermione sighed. She knew it was no use. Every day she had to tell herself the same thing, but it was always in vain.

She walked over to her wall to pick up the shattered picture frame. The picture was of the Golden Trio, as they had been dubbed. It had been taken a mere month before the battle, and if you looked close, you could almost see the strain etched in the lines of their faces, more prominent on Harry's. They did a good job at hiding it, all three knowing that time was short so they had best spend it the best they could. The training could be called anything but fun to most, but her, Harry, and Ron had decided they would make the best of it.

For almost a year leading up the battle, they would train. Usually dueling, but they would occasionally get training in other areas as well, such as extra Transfiguration and Charms. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick knew their subjects better than anyone, and taught them ways to use the subject to help add defense or offense to their duels. Hermione, in true Hermione fashion, was also going once a week to Madam Pomfrey to learn as much about healing magic as she could. In light of future events, she figured this was wise.

Dueling sessions usually occurred on weekend nights, or whenever Professor Snape decided to call one. No one argued when Dumbledore had told them Snape would be overseeing and teaching the dueling; who else had as much first hand combat & defensive experience as the Ex-Death-Eater-Turned-Spy-For-The-Light, except maybe Dumbledore himself? Snape decided that sporadic & spontaneous training sessions were good for the mind, so it wasn't unusual for them to be eating dinner on a weekday night and have Snape come by and request a "word" in his office. They knew that a "word" translated into "I'm going to curse the shit out of you, so you better be prepared."

Occasionally, Tonks or Remus would show up to the training sessions and help them out. Kingsley could be counted on to show up whenever his schedule permitted, as would Draco.

_Draco_, Hermione thought. _Now THERE's a mystery wrapped in an enigma surrounded by a puzzle._ No one, except the always omniscient Dumbledore, could have predicted that the once pompous, spoiled, aristocratic heir would grow into a courageous man, who finally got tired of his father and his lifestyle. In the beginning of their sixth year, word was Draco was given a task by Voldemort himself. No one, not even Harry, knew what the details were. The only one Draco told was Dumbledore. (Snape, being a spy, had already heard since he was at the meeting.) When Snape had come back from said meeting, he immediately went to tell Dumbledore of the plans. He had only talked for roughly 15 minutes, however, when Dumbledore's door announced Draco Malfoy was requesting an audience as soon as possible, and that it was urgent. Snape Disillusioned himself and watched as Draco Malfoy, sole heir to the Malfoy fortune, property, and name, came clean to Dumbledore about everything. He explained how he was sickened by his father; how he hated the lifestyle he was thrust into and was forced to keep appearances to; how he hated looking into Voldemort's cold red eyes and seeing a reflection of his father. He voluntarily offered to take Veritaserum to prove himself to Dumbledore. That was as much as Hermione had found out about him. Whatever Draco had said, it was enough to convince both Dumbledore and Snape.

Since then, Draco had been joining in whatever training sessions they were doing, including joining her for her medi-training, even when the other two boys decided that they had no use for the added learning of healing spells and potions. The first time he had walked into the dueling training, all hell had broken loose. Luckily, Dumbledore had anticipated this and had a shield on Draco as he walked in. _Sometimes I think Dumbledore gets odd amusement at confusing others,_ she thought. _He could've walked in first and saved a lot of time at dodging curses that were bouncing off Draco by just explaining._ Hermione rolled her eyes, and once again reminded herself that it would take longer than she had to live to figure out the workings of Albus Dumbledore's mind.

It took some time, but eventually Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Draco were able to coexist. Draco still played his role as arrogant bastard during school hours, but at training sessions he was a completely different person. He was still pompous and a bastard, but also occasionally showing a nicer side; a funny side. The Trio understood completely why he acted the way he did; Snape was in a similar boat. They had to continue to pretend like they were better, mudblood's were scum, & Harry was useless (although in Snape's case, that might be his true feelings…). Maybe they didn't consider one another FRIENDS, but certainly they were acquaintances who could work together.

It finally seemed like things were going well for the Light. _And they DID go well, didn't they? _she thought. _You all knew what the risk was in war. Everyone knew there was a chance they would die._

Yes, that was true. However, it seemed like the people who had already accepted the fact they wouldn't live to the end of the battle were the ones who survived.

Dumbledore was still reigning as Headmaster at Hogwarts, waiting to reopen the school and welcome everyone back with the ever-present twinkle in his eyes, ready to put everything behind him and start training the witches and wizards for the new Voldemort-free future.

Draco was coming back to restart and complete his 7th and final year at Hogwarts, as were the other students whose education had been disrupted due to the battle. He was now a lone Malfoy, however. His mother, Narcissa, had died on the battlefield, fighting for the Dark until the end. The end, however, came when she came face to face with her son for the first time since he had left the Death Eater meeting almost a year and a half previously. It finally hit her that he had turned on the family and went his separate way. She had let out an angry, heartbroken yell and shot off the curse to end her son's life; Draco didn't even raise his wand to defend himself. At that point,however, Harry had pushed Draco to the ground as Moody simultaneously shot a curse at her. She went down, and Draco ran off into battle with Harry, not looking back. Lucius Malfoy had escaped Azkaban by flaunting his money, knowing Minister Fudge could be counted on to be crooked when galleons were involved. He then proceeded to formally disown his son, and cut him off from everything. Hermione didn't know where Draco had been staying since then.

Snape was continuing as Potions Master; however this time, he assured them, he would hate all his students _equally_, and not favor the Slytherins, since he no longer needed to.

Most surprised by his continuing life was Harry. He would also be coming back for the school year.

No one knew the exact details of what had finally finished Voldemort. If you asked Harry, he either couldn't or wouldn't tell. The last hour of battle was the worst; it was pure chaos, with curses firing from every direction and not knowing if they were from friends or foes. It was like being sucked into the very deepest, darkest pit of Hell; dust from the school rained down making thick white dust, while smoke from the many fires mixed; people, Light and Dark fighters alike, fell from the rooftops and open windows and towers all along the castle, some being pushed, or jumped, knowing they were cornered & would soon die anyway. All around, Hermione heard screaming and yelling, crying and cursing, and the tell-tale sound of bodies hitting all over the grounds and the roofs around her. Time would slow, and she would be able to take in all her surroundings, however much she didn't want to.

Then, it all happened very fast; somewhere between the sinister green lights emitting all around and the dust, Harry had seen enough to make him angrier than ever. Everyone heard him let out an angry bellow, and curses started flying out from his wand faster than people could make out. Even with the restricted sight from the dust, everyone knew where Voldemort and Harry dueled by watching the lights, and everyone kept clear of the space, except Dumbledore who could be heard trying to fight his way over, to be of assistance. Suddenly, there was the worst scream of all: a gut wrenching, painful scream full of anguish and hatred combined. Everyone in the vicinity paused, and as the fighting ceased, the smoke cleared. With it, the broken, lifeless body of Voldemort lay crumpled at Harry's feet.

Dumbledore appeared out of the crowd and in a trice had the horrified Death Eaters corralled. The survivors and less injured were becoming aware of what had happened, and set to work clearing the smoke and looking for wounded and deceased; celebrations could wait. Harry, however, stood in the same spot, still looking down. As the smoke cleared more, it became clear what had finally set him off: Ron Weasley also lay on the ground, his lifeless eyes still in the same narrowing shape they were when he fell, as if he was still struggling to see through the smoke so he could help his best friend.

As the day wore on, body recovering commenced, as did the clean-up. The dead Death Eaters were set aside in tent conjured by Dumbledore. The captured Death Eaters were all magically bound and stunned, in a magically warded tent next to their dead, with aurors guarding the outside. The injured were all brought to the Hospital Wing, and mediwitches and wizards from St. Mungo's were on site to assist Madam Pomfrey.

The fallen heroes of the Light were laid down in the Great Hall in rows. No one wanted to leave them outside, and felt they deserved more. Hermione knew she would never forget the sight she saw when she at last entered the Hall after helping bring the last injured to Pomfrey, and convincing Harry to finally move.

Among those laying in the Hall next to Ron were the other members of the Weasley family that had fallen: Percy, proud and haughty, who had come to his senses in the middle of Hermione's 6th year and had been a huge contribution to the Light, using his connections in the ministry to both spy and recruit; Arthur, fun-loving and sure, who refused to leave Molly's side the entire battle, until his demise. It was after Bellatrix struck him down that Molly took her grief and anger out on Bellatrix, who thanks to Molly, was lying in the deceased Death Eaters tent. The survivors of the family were all huddled around the three men, Molly and Ginny kneeling or hunched over sobbing, the twins supporting one another on one side, with Charlie and Bill in the same position on the other.

Also lying in the hall was Hagrid, who had to be hit by 5 separate Death Eater curses to finally bring him down; Kinglsey, who had taken at least 6 Death Eaters with him before he went; Viktor Krum, who had been recruiting people in Bulgaria and in his travels to join up with the Light; Pansy Parkinson, who surprised everyone at the beginning of the summer by joining up with what she called "the right side";the Creevey brothers, both Dennis and Colin, who had learned enough from worshipping Harry about the secret passages into Hogwarts and had snuck back in to fight; and so many others. The Great Hall was filled with the dead, and the surviving friends and families trickling in and walking around.

_Yes, _Hermione thought wryly, _it was most definitely the people who DIDN'T think about death as an option who were the first to go down._

Hermione came back out of her thoughts with a sigh, looked down at the broken frame, gave up with a roll of her eyes, and muttered the inevitable _reparo_ whilst tapping it once with her wand. She stared at it for a second longer, then, with an impatient swipe at her eyes, she carefully wrapped the picture and frame up in old pages of the _Daily Prophet_, and laid it gently in her trunk, in a pouch she transfigured from a button and attached to the top portion.

She glanced at the pouch once more, muttered a concealment charm, then turned her back to the trunk, picture, and memories, and resumed her cleaning and packing, blinking hard and banishing all traces of tears.


	2. Chapter 2

"DAMMIT!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, and waited for her mom to yell for her. Sure enough, a second later she heard her mother calling her name. She walked to the landing, and started down the stairs. Her mom was waiting at the foot of the stairs for her with a letter in her hand.

"Really, Hermione, you've gone to that school for almost 7 years. Surely, by now, the bloody owls know to go to YOUR window and not scare your poor mother half to Hades by flying into our sitting room window?" her mother asked.

Hermione bit back a laugh. "Honestly, maybe you shouldn't clean the windows so well that the owls think they can fly through. It's pretty rude of you," she said with a straight face. Her mom just made a face at her and held out the letter.

"Here, this just came for you, obviously. It has the Hogwarts seal on it," her mom told her. Hermione ran downstairs 2 at a time, and tore the letter open.

"I'm guessing it's good news?" her mother questioned, raising an eyebrow sardonically at the high pitched squeal her daughter had emitted.

"YES! It's from Professor Dumbledore. He was notifying me that I got the position of Head Girl!" Hermione started dancing in circles while her mom laughed.

"That's great, sweetie. When your father gets home you can tell him. He'll be very proud. Isn't there usually a Head Boy too?" her mom asked.

Hermione stopped dancing long enough to look down at the letter.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Maybe it's Harry. Lord knows he could use a break after last year, though," Hermione muttered. She continued to read, then stopped and rolled her eyes. "Oh great. This should be interesting," she sighed. "I get to live in the Head Chambers all year with Draco Malfoy."

XXX

Back up in her room again, Hermione was ecstatic. She grabbed some parchment and immediately began to write to Harry and tell him the news. She was halfway through her second letter when she realized she had written Ron's name at the top of the sheet. She sighed, crumpled it up, and threw it behind her into her mounting trash piles. Not feeling up to writing the paragraph over, she murmured a duplicating spell and copied what she wrote to Harry onto another sheet that she decided she would send to Molly and the rest of the Weasleys. She knew Molly still cared about her, and would be proud of the Head Girl title.

She sealed the letters and addressed them, then went to where her owl, Athena, was sitting in her cage. Athena had been a gift to her from herself. She loved Crookshanks to death, but she knew that an Owl would be more helpful. Luckily, Crooks didn't mind Athena, and vice versa. She had taken one look at the stormy grey owl at the shop and knew what her name would be. What else would she name her? Not only was Athena's animal an owl of wisdom, but Athena was the goddess of wisdom. _What else would people expect an owl of Hermione Granger, resident Know-it-All, to be named?_ she thought sarcastically. Usually calm, Athena was looking very agitated at the moment.

"What's up girl? I need you to carry these letters to Harry and to the Burrow. Harry should be at Grimmauld Place," she told her familiar.

After Voldemort had been destroyed, Harry had immediately moved out of the Dursley's and went to the only place he had to his name. Apparently, no matter how much Grimmauld place botherd him since Sirius' death, it was still better than the Dursley's. Since then, he had kept her updated on how things at his new place were going. Kreacher had taken to him well following the downfall of Voldemort after Harry had sat him down and had a talk with him. He also had Dobby there, of course. Harry paid Dobby a galleon a week, and loved having him around. Dobby had been there for Harry the last couple years, and it was Dobby who had led the Hogwarts and other house elves alike into battle. According to Harry's last letter, the entire place was cleaned and disinfected. Kreacher even agreed to help get the horrible screaming paintings off the walls.

Athena nipped her fingers while she was attaching the letters, as if to convey a message to her. Hermione, however, just swatted at the bird and told her to get a move on.

After she watched her fly away, Hermione started clearing off her desk. It was then she saw the letter.

_Oh. Ok. This must be why she was upset. I have mail. Oops._

Picking up the letter, Hermione turned pale when seeing the handwriting. Knowing nothing good was written inside, Hermione still opened the letter and started to read.

_Dearest Hermione,_

_I hope this finds you well. I can say the same cannot be said for me. You see, I am overcome with emotions. I see the same things when I close my eyes: death, destruction, blood. Surely you must see the same? I know you must. However, I realize that the effects of those sights mean different to you and I. While you get sickened at the thoughts, I gain power and insight._

_You haven't been yourself lately, I know. You must be wrought with guilt and grief at your losses. With war comes death, however. You chose your side, as did we all, and you were lucky to escape with your life. You shouldn't feel bad about the Weasley deaths. Just because you were in the same area, mere meters from where the youngest one was, doesn't mean you should hold yourself responsible. I'm sure you did all you could. You were otherwise occupied; it's understandable. You couldn't be called upon to fight the Dark Lord face to face; you had other people to fight. Also, of course, Harry wanted the honors for himself. And it's perfecting fine that you saw the Weasley parents dueling probably minutes before Arthur was struck down, yet you continued to rush past instead of stopping to help the duel. I understand, Hermione. Really, I do. I don't judge you for you actions._

_What do you see when you close your eyes, Hermione? Have you been able to move on? Or do you see the same as I do? The only thing I have to console myself with now is the hope that one day, definitely in the near future, you and I will meet. We've met before, of course, but this introduction will be better. Then I can show you what true bitterness, anger, and hate really is. You think you know anguish? When we finish, my dear, you will be begging me for death._

_Don't grieve over your lost loved ones, Hermione. I will be only too happy to reunite you._

_Always yours, and until next time,_

_Your New Lord_

Hermione threw the letter down, and felt herself become dizzy. She lay down on her bed until the nausea passed, and then sat up again. She was still pale and shaky, but she made herself stand up.

_Fuck him,_ she thought. She didn't know who this "NEW Lord" was, but she wasn't going to let him get to her. She grabbed the letter and stuffed it in her trunk along with the last 3 she had received from the same mysterious person, telling herself that she'd show Professor Dumbledore when she got to the Head Student orientation meeting. It could wait until then.

XXX

Over at Hogwarts, Severus Snape was stalking about his chambers like the bat he was always referred to as. He always hated the last few weeks leading up to the new school year, and this time was no different. Ok, that wasn't true, since this year he was going to be able to finally teach with no restrictions.

He was definitely looking forward to being a real teacher. For too long he had let his Slytherins get away with anything, all for the sole purpose of staying in good graces with Voldemort. Too long had he looked over students like Ms. Granger in favor of his own, all because he had to treat her like common filth. He was never free to encourage students from other houses; never free to discipline the ones from his own. This year would be different, though. This year he was going to change things around.

No one, however, would be taught anything if he couldn't find his damn lesson plans he was supposed to be handing into Dumbledore today.

"Shit!" he yelled, as he kicked over his coffee table with a crash. He felt a moment's satisfaction looking at the broken table, then sighed and fixed it again. It was a good thing the _reparo_ spell didn't leave any indication it had been previously used because in times of temper; Snape was known to break things just to make himself feel better. If it left traces, then almost everything Snape owned would look horrible.

"Well, you sound pleasant Severus," drawled a voice from the doorway leading from his sitting room. Snape turned to see Draco leaning casually against the door frame, arms crossed, and one eyebrow slightly raised. A second later he dodged the book hurled at him with a lazy flick of his wand. "Really, Professor Snape, is that any way to treat your star pupil? I would think you would be more polite to the new Head Boy," he said in an innocent voice, waving the letter in front of him. "This just came for me. Honestly, I don't understand why Professor Dumbledore couldn't just walk it down here, or floo it. It seems sort of useless to use an owl for that. And why didn't you tell me about it, or that I'd be sharing a dorm with Granger?"

Snape paused long enough to snort and flip him off before continuing tearing apart his desk.

"Of course I'm in a pleasant mood. I'm always in a pleasant mood; this is why I'm always the students' favorite professor," he said dryly. "However, they won't like my mood much if I can't find these bloody papers. And I didn't tell you anything because I didn't KNOW anything. Even if I would have, I still wouldn't have told you."

Draco just shook his head and laughed quietly as he pushed himself away from the doorframe to help Severus look for the "bloody papers", muttering about how the only way Snape's normal mood could be worse than normal was if he was Voldemort himself, and wondering why he didn't just _accio_ them.

Snape decided to ignore the first comment and answered the latter by explaining he had spelled it not to respond to the summoning charm since he didn't want anyone else getting them. Draco just rolled his eyes and continued his search, still muttering words loud enough for Snape to hear about paranoia and other things, and Snape glanced over at his godson.

This title was new, and seemed the most appropriate route. Draco had nowhere to live, no money, and no family. Snape had a couple places to live, plenty of money, and no family. Draco and Snape were two different people in very similar roles.

After the battle, it had come out about their parts in the war. They both received an Order of Merlin, Snape getting 1st Class and Draco a 2nd Class, and basically a pat on the shoulder. After that, they were thrust back into the wizarding world, and it was soon realized that not everyone welcomed them. On the one side, there were still people who did not, and would never, trust them. Most felt that even if Snape had turned to the Light, he still wore the Mark and was therefore still evil. With Draco, people only saw the boy he used to be, instead of the man he was now. On the other side of the spectrum, they were basically wanted men, but untouchable due to their "war hero" statuses. Voldemort's supporters, the ones who had kept their true identities quiet & the ones who had somehow avoided jail time, hated Draco and Snape with a passion, though probably more in Snape's case. He was, after all, the one who had passed information to Dumbledore before Voldemort's first fall, then had come back and somehow wormed his way into the Dark Lord's good graces as right hand man. With that position, he was able to start passing every tidbit gathered from any Death Eater, since he always heard the news first. If that wasn't bad enough, he also helped train the teenage wizard who eventually brought about his end, and came out with sunshine coming out of his ass. Oh yes, there were many people who wanted Snape dead.

Draco had it easier, but barely. He hated his father; anyone could see that. But he was raised a pureblood, and therefore the fact that he was formally disowned stung him. Added to the fact that most of his House hated him for betraying not only their future Lord but also being one of the reasons most their parents were imprisoned, surprisingly including a few from other houses as well. Plus, the same supporters that wanted Snape dead also wished the same for the young Malfoy, and he was essentially homeless and poor.

Snape had taken to the former heir and invited him to stay at his summer house in Rostock, Germany. With it being on its own acre, it was a small mansion. Only 2 floors, with a 3rd floor attic, it had 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, a library, kitchen, common area, banquet hall, and of course, a potions lab. Snape didn't need all the room, but it was his land, so he chose to stay there during the summer. When Draco agreed to move in, he immediately took to the attic and converted it to a room. He enjoyed the slanted ceilings and the view from the old fashioned circular windows on either ends of the room. The windows were by far his favorite, as they were almost as tall as the room itself. The base of the circles started at his mid-calf and rose to 3 feet above his head. With the views, he was able to see out on the land from one end of his room, and if he walked to the other end, the Warnow River flowed for miles before it emptied into the Baltic Sea. Draco enjoyed Germany. He could finally stroll down any wizarding street and not worry about stray curses & hexes, or the stares and whispers that always plagued him in England. While wizards here certainly knew of Voldemort, they had their own paper to read the rumors. They still celebrated his downfall, yet no one paid any attention to just another pale, platinum blonde male walking around. In fact, if Draco didn't speak, then the townsfolk would never know he was British. Even that didn't matter so much after the first 6 months or so, because Snape had been teaching Draco the basics of the German language and he was picking it up fast.

Snape had surprisingly found it easy to live with the young man, especially since Draco was old enough to perform magic of his own. Snape had a few house elves, and he was polite to them, as their family had been serving HIS family for generations. Draco soon learned that these elves were not like the elves back at his old manor; no, these were SNAPE elves. They had survived years and years serving the line of Snape's and, even though they always performed their duties, they were not the soft, easily pushed around, scared elves Draco had grown up with. They could be almost as snarky as the professor himself.

The two men coexisted well, always going about their own business during the day, and spending the evenings in the library or banquet hall talking. They would sip wine or whiskey, and talk as if the battle hadn't happened and they weren't hated men. They would discuss Draco's future, and his plans after graduation, or just whatever came up.

Finally, after being there about 7 months, Snape approached Draco and asked if it would be ok to formally become his Godfather. If he did, then Draco would become his heir until he had any kids of his own, and even then, he would still be in the will. Also, he would have access to his houses and vaults, since right now he had no way to get to either one. He made sure to explain that this was in no way a hand-out, and it was merely a helping hand. At that, Draco had grinned and said ok, and they had signed the papers.

Snape was brought back to the present when Draco chucked a quill at his head and told him that he wasn't going to search by himself while Snape stood around basking in his handsome aura, and if he was too much a distraction then he could always leave Snape to find the missing papers himself.

At this Snape finally levitated the desk, threw it at the wall by Draco, and had himself a laugh as the normally graceful, haughty blonde jumped out of the way and landed very ungracefully in front of a book case on his ass, his hair sticking every which way with bits of wood splinters and dust. Draco, however, had the last laugh when Snape realized the folder he'd spent the last 2 hours searching for had been on the desk the whole time as the papers it contained floated down around Snape. Apparently, in his growing frustration, he had merely jarred it under further papers instead of clearing it away.

With a sigh, Snape started picking the pieces back up, straight backed, attempting to hold onto his pride while Draco merely continued to laugh.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE, NEVER BEEN MINE. NOT MAKING A SINGLE KNUT.**

"HERMIONE!" yelled a familiar voice, and Hermione whipped her head around the crowded platform searching for the source. A half second later, all she saw was black hair before she was slammed into, and she was trapped in a bear hug so tight she could barely wiggle.

Putting her down again and laughing, Harry stood back to get a good look at his best friend. He noticed her smile didn't quite reach her eyes as it used to, but he was in no place to judge; he'd been spending almost the last year with only house elves for company and trying not to think about anything that had to do with…well…anything. He'd been keeping busy trying to renovate his house, and he actually did a lot of it the muggle way. He did most of the cleaning and scrubbing using cleaners, sponges, and a lot of elbow grease. He tended to the front and back yard, pulling weeds and trying to make grass grow in his part of London. It was a lot of sweat, calluses, and aching muscles, but it did its job and took his mind off of anything that would make him feel bad.

"Harry! How've you been? It gets slightly depressing just staring at letters week after week, you know," Hermione laughed, and resumed trying to get her trunk onto the train. "You look so different!"

And he did, in a way. His latest (and probably last, since he was 18 now) growth spurt had brought him to just under 6 foot by mere centimeters. His hair was still black and messy, but he had gotten it cut finally when he could stand the sun beating down while out working in the yard any longer. Unfortunately, he had gotten so irritated that he cut it himself. When he went upstairs for a shower was when he realized just how ridiculous it looked and resigned himself to go to a proper barber. Now, instead of it being everywhere and shaggy, it was shorter so it hung down on his head in a neater way, and he especially liked how it plastered to his forehead when it was wet, and it was short enough for him to still see. He had lost the pale, sallow, unhealthy, pinched look he once had, and now was tan from the sun, and had muscles to prove the work he had been doing.

"Here; give me that. And if you wanted to visit, you only had to say so. You wouldn't believe how mad you can go after only talking to elves for almost a year," Harry said, and finished stuffing her trunk away and started on his own. "You have to go to the Head compartment first for a briefing and patrolling, right? I'll wait here; Ginny or Neville or Luna is bound to show up eventually. Who's Head Boy anyway? You never said in your letter," Harry asked.

"Oh, it's Draco, so it shouldn't be that bad. You ok?" she asked, for Harry had just dropped his trunk on his foot when she had said Draco, and was muttering obscenities under his breath.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. Dammit, that hurt. So, you have to live with DRACO all year? Won't that be fun," he finished sarcastically, but it sounded a bit forced.

"Yep, and I'll expect you to be there to see me all the time. If not, I may go stark mad. I'm not sure how long after the battle that truce between him and us was supposed to last…" Hermione trailed off, after seeing the shuttered look in Harry's eyes the moment she said "battle" and knew she should change the subject. Instead, she forced on.

"Listen…Harry…how are you? I mean, REALLY? You look great, you do. But in your letters you never once mentioned ANYTHING about the battle or…or Ron," she hesitated on Ron's name, but continued anyway, even after Harry turned his head away. "I know how hard it was for ME to be shut away, practically alone, and forced to think about it even when I tried not to. And I know that however hard it was on me, it was probably worse for you."

Harry shook off the hand she had placed on his arm and finally turned to stare at her.

"I don't have any idea what you're babbling on about, Hermione. My year was fine; I worked on the house, talked to Dobby, and corresponded with you. Shit happens, Hermione. You live with it, and you keep living," Harry told her, eyes hard as stone.

"But-," Hermione started.

"No, Hermione. No BUTS. That's how it goes. I'm FINE. If you want to sit here and discuss FEELINGS the entire trip, you're going to need to find a new compartment. Better yet, go to the compartment you _belong _in," he told her. "Now, you might want to run along to your little meeting; your empathy might be of more use to the people who NEED it."

"Harry-," she tried again.

"GO, Hermione! Just fucking GO. Listen to me: I. Am. FINE. Ok?" Harry yelled, eyes narrowed in anger when finished.

Hermione had no words; she just turned around and walked back up the aisle to the Head compartment.

Harry lay down across the entire bench, put in his headphones, turned on his muggle Ipod, and closed his eyes to the rest of the world, magical or not.

XXX

Hours later, the Hogwarts Express pulled into the Hogwarts station. Hermione was walking the aisle, helping the first years, and reproaching the older students for lagging. She was almost to the end of the train when Harry came out of the compartment to her left.

"Hey, how come you never came back? I fell asleep waiting for you," he told her.

"Excuse me, but I believe you told me to "just fucking go" and so I _just fucking went_ and spent the time in the Head compartment _where I belong_," she said in an offhand tone as she checked the remaining compartments. "I figured you needed your "Harry" time, so I stayed away."

"Ok, I get it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you, but you were pissing me off...," Harry trailed off after seeing the look on Hermione's face. She just rolled her eyes and turned to walk away.

"You need to grab your trunk, _Mister Potter_, and please vacate the train," Hermione called over her shoulder. "Don't worry about mine; they were already moved to my _correct_ compartment," she added before walking away.

XXX

"Are you going to at least ride with me in the same carriage, your Holy Headship?" Harry asked sarcastically. He had stubbornly stood around, shadowing Hermione while she rounded up all the second years and above to try and corral them into carriages. The first years had already been taken to the boats by Charlie Weasley, who had agreed to take over the position of Care of Magical Creatures. Finally, it was down to only a handful of students and carriages, and Harry was determined to make Hermione sit with him.

Hermione snorted in amusement at his tone, but finally agreed to get into a carriage with him. In it, Ginny and Neville had gotten in as well.

"Hey Gin; Nev. How have you guys been?" Harry asked in a bored tone.

"Yeah, how are you? I missed you both. There wasn't much to do being alone around my house, I'm afraid," Hermione laughed.

"I've been ok. Just taking care of Gran; she's getting on in her age but won't admit it. Other than that it's been boring," Neville told them.

"How about you Ginny?" Hermione asked, looking concerned at her friend's appearance. Ginny's red hair was hanging lank on her head, and she looked drawn in. Her skin looked as though she had been in a dark room the whole year, and her normally bright brown eyes looked empty.

"It's been ok. Mum's been a bit difficult, but Fred & George come by a lot to help out," Ginny explained. "It's been hard on her, losing Dad especially, and Percy. But I think the worst is Ron. She can't bear to hear his name, and had to make the twins clean out his room. She refused to do it up until two months ago, but Bill put his foot down and said it was unhealthy to keep it how it was. You still can't even say Ron-."

"So, Neville, how're you and Tabitha doing, huh?" Harry interrupted. He didn't give the slightest hint that he knew he just cut Ginny off, nor did he look at her.

Nonplussed, Neville started telling Harry about his (Hufflepuff) girlfriend and how she had finally come over to meet Gran, but she had taken the carriage right before theirs to catch up with friends. Harry laughed when needed to, but otherwise kept his eyes from Ginny's part of the carriage the entire way to school, and ignored her completely.

Hermione just shook her head and patted Ginny's hand. Ginny's face showed confusion, anger, and hurt but finally just settled back on dejected, and rode the rest of the carriage ride in silence.

_This is shaping up to be a fun year already…_ Hermione thought. Her thoughts drifted to her newest letter; when she had gotten to the Head compartment, it was empty. Draco was already at the school apparently, so she had the whole area to herself. The Prefects shared the adjoining compartment. Her heart had plummeted when she saw the letter sitting on the seat. She set down Athena's cage as she picked up the letter, and sure enough it was to her in the same handwriting. She always felt as if she knew the handwriting, but she couldn't place it. The cryptic message was short, but freaked her out anyway:

_Dearest Hermione,_

_ Do enjoy the train ride. Commit it to memory, for it will be your last._

_ Always Yours,_

_ Your Love_

XXX

"Welcome, welcome, to each and every one of you!" Dumbledore exclaimed, rising to make his normal after dinner announcements. "This year will be hard for most of you; that is to be expected with so many lost friends and loved ones. However, every single person in this room has the ability to make it through. It will be difficult, especially with so many students this year, but we have excellent Prefects and a dynamic Head Student duo. Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy"- at the mention of his surname, Draco grimaced-"will you please raise your hands?"

Draco and Hermione both gave a little wave to the watchful eyes in the Great Hall. As they lowered their hands, Draco caught her eye for the first time that night and raised one eyebrow sardonically as he mouthed "DYNAMIC DUO? REALLY?"

Hermione quickly tried turning her laugh into a cough, and rolled her eyes at him, smiling.

"As you can see, we have a new professor here this year. Please join me in welcoming Professor Charlie Weasley, who has taken time away from his workings with dragons to take over the spot of Care of Magical Creatures, and Professor Austin Moddell has kindly taken over Defense Against the Dark Arts," Dumbledore said as he led the Hall into applause. "Now off to bed. Tomorrow is a new day for the new future. Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger, a minute?" he added.

"Go on, Harry. I'll see you in the morning. He needs to show us where we'll be sleeping," Hermione told Harry.

"Yes, Granger. Let's hope it's big enough to shelf all of those books you insist on bringing everywhere…" Draco drawled, as he came up behind her.

Hermione just smirked and said, "It's going to have to be big enough if your ego needs to be housed, Draco." At the use of his first name, an unspoken truce seemed to pass between them. Draco hadn't been sure what how Hermione was going to act towards him.

"Excellent. Well, sorry Potter, looks like Hermione will be bunking with me for the year. Don't worry about me stealing her, though; she's not my type. So your girlfriend's virtue will stay safe," Draco scoffed.

Hermione just rolled her eyes, and gave Harry a hug and a little push. "I promise I'll see you in the morning at breakfast."

"Ah, Harry! Best be running along. I wouldn't want you to be caught after curfew on your first night back. The password for Gryffindor is 'Balderdash,'" Dumbledore directed at Harry as he came up on the trio. Harry just waved and walked away.

"Now, let's show you two where you'll be staying, shall we?" Dumbledore set off.

They wound up somewhere on the 3rd floor. It was a plain corridor that they had probably passed hundreds of times throughout their years at Hogwarts and never noticed.

The entrance was guarded by a gargoyle statue of a Greek Chimera. Hermione couldn't believe she had never noticed it before, and the look Draco was giving her, he was thinking the same.

Dumbledore chuckled at their facial expressions. "Don't worry, you're not insane. This statue changes every year depending on who the Head Girl and Boy are. If they're both from the same house, the gargoyle has a relatively easy job and turns into that House's mascot. However, when two houses mix, it blends the animals together, occasionally having to create its own hybrid. Apparently, a chimera was the most reasonable solution it could come up with."

"I think it's pretty awesome, actually. I'm just not sure I like the snakes coming out of the lion's back end like that…it sets a bad precedent," Draco murmured.

"Now, the password is Flaming Earwigs. Don't blame me; I lost a bet. _**I **_wanted it to be something more dramatic like Golden Serpent or something along those lines, but alas, you win some, you lose some. Now, through this way, you'll see it enters into your commons area," Dumbledore showed them.

Hermione's jaw dropped open, and next to her she could feel Draco's surprise too. The room was incredible. The fireplace was huge, and had a fire already burning. The commons area was open, and light. They were both privately relieved to find that their house colors weren't predominant, and were only underlining crimson and silvers across the room. The floor plan was a standard split, with one room on either side of the commons area, with both students belongings already brought up. Both rooms had their own bathroom, thankfully.

"One more thing before I leave you: I need to explain the door," Dumbledore said, as he strolled across the length of the commons room. Directly across from the gargoyle entrance was a plain wooden door, which Dumbledore stopped in front of. "This door leads to every House common room. You will remember being showed it when you became Prefects; however, it is different on this side. While on the Prefect side, Prefect needs only to knock on the door and state their name, the Head Boy and/or Girl doesn't need to knock. If either one of you need to get to a common room, simply say the House name, and open the door. An alarm of sorts will sound if anything drastic happens in a common room, such as a fight or riot, and you will be able to hear it no matter where you are in this room."

Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "Ok, then. I believe that's it. If you have any questions, you know where my office is. If any case arises where I need to speak with you right away, I will use the floo. However, please don't use it to get from place to place all over school. You really should have very little need for a floo network. Good night!" And with that, Dumbledore left through the gargoyle.

For a moment, Draco and Hermione stared around at everything but one another. Finally, Draco broke the silence by bidding Hermione a good night, and proceeded to his room to the left.

When Hermione got done brushing her teeth, she went in her room and saw Athena already sleeping on her perch. Suddenly feeling the weight of exhaustion, Hermione jumped into bed and snuggled into the covers. Her last thought before succumbing to sleep was of the mysterious letters, and pushing it out of her mind. She was home.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE, NEVER BEEN MINE. NOT MAKING A SINGLE KNUT.**

Hermione woke up feeling better than she had in months. Her mood was heightened even more when she remembered that luckily September 1st had landed on a Friday, so the students first morning at school they were allowed to sleep in.

_I love weekends,_ Hermione thought. Weekends were when students were allowed to wear "normal" clothes instead of the standard Hogwarts black robes. She took a quick shower, and started getting dressed. Looking in the mirror, she started to fix her hair.

Having finally getting fed up with it and having nothing to occupy her time over the last year home alone, Hermione had come across a few spells to help tame it, and had also gotten it trimmed. It was just below her shoulders, but it was now shiny, and she could make it lie flat if she wanted to or tamed curls, and feel silky.

Satisfied with her hair, she donned a pair of snug fitting jeans and a simple deep red form fitting shirt.

Walking into her commons area the next morning, Hermione noticed Draco sitting on the couch by the fire. He turned when he heard her door close, and smiled at her.

"Morning. I figured even though it's Saturday, it would still be good to show up at breakfast together the first morning. Mainly, of course, to prove that we haven't killed one another," Draco drawled, putting aside his book and standing up. Draco had grown, also. He now had to be a good 6'2, at least, and he towered over Hermione's small 5'4 frame.

"Yes, I noticed quite a few surprised stares when Professor Dumbledore told the students who the dynamic duo would be," Hermione replied, smiling when Draco grimaced at the nickname.

"Quite. Shall we?" Draco offered her arm and stuck his nose in the air, wearing the haughtiest look he could muster.

"Yes, let's," she formally responded, grabbing his proffered arm and trying her hardest not to laugh.

When they entered the Great Hall, the students who were in there all tried to hide their surprise and Draco decided to play it up until the end, by escorting Hermione to her seat at the very front of the Gryffindor Table, taking his time walking her there.

Harry sat waiting for her, a slight glare on his face as he watched the pair approach.

"Hey Harry," Hermione greeted her best friend.

"Hermione. Malfoy," Harry responded as way of greeting, and went back to his bacon.

Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry, and then schooled his features back to his haughty look. He bid Hermione good day and bowed deeply to her, finishing off with a twirl of his hands. Hermione just laughed and swatted him on the arm.

She turned back to Harry, still laughing and rolling her eyes.

"That man, I tell you," she said. "He's actually not so bad. I think I may just survive this year living with him."

"That's nice," Harry replied, not taking his eyes off his food, and not sounding nice at all.

"What's your deal?" she asked.

"Nothing. Tired. Annoyed. The usual," he shot back. "See you later. I want to go unpack more of my shit. I didn't do much last night; I pretty much passed out." With that, he stood up and walked away.

As she stared after her best friend, she heard someone say, "He wasn't doing too well last night…"

She turned and saw Seamus and Dean looking at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked them.

Dean looked at the door Harry had just walked through, then back at Hermione with sadness in his eyes.

"They never move us to new rooms, you know. We always stay in the same rooms; same beds. Except, of course, when someone doesn't come back. Ron's bed is gone. Well, Ron's bed was always right across from Harry's. They used to talk to one another all the time before bed. From what I saw, Harry didn't _pass out;_ he was still awake when I fell asleep," Dean told her.

"Yeah," Seamus added. "He was just lying there, staring at the space where Ron's bed used to be. They didn't even attempt to fill the void with a dresser or anything; it's just a big hole. He wouldn't turn away or anything; just stare. He wouldn't talk to any of us when we tried, so we finally gave up and went to bed." He shrugged.

"Well, it's bound to take some time…," Hermione said, and tried to go back to her breakfast. Another ten minutes she was finished pretending to eat, so she figured she'd go and unpack too.

Not watching where she was walking, Hermione had just left the Great Hall when she bounced off what seemed a wall of black fabric. Looking up from the floor, the frame of Professor Snape looked even taller.

"Oh my god, Professor Snape, I'm _so_ sorry!" Hermione blurted out from her place on the floor. "I wasn't paying attention."

"_That _much is obvious," Snape answered, and then rolled his eyes as he held out a hand to help her up. Ignoring her surprised look, he pulled her up as if she weighed 10 pounds. "Kindly look around you next time you walk. There _are_ other people living in this castle."

"Oh! Yes, sir!" Hermione answered. "I guess I'll be seeing you Monday for NEWT Potions, sir. It's probably a good thing Neville opted to not even try testing into it." Hermione gave a tentative smile.

Professor Snape barked out a quick laugh.

"Pity. I think I'll rather miss buying and replacing cauldron after cauldron after cauldron after cauldron after cauldron after…," Professor Snape said, walking away, repeating himself all the way into the Great Hall, twirling his hand in the air.

_Did PROFESSOR SNAPE just make a joke? And LAUGH?_ Hermione thought incredulously, staring after him.

XXX

"Need some help with that?" came a voice from Hermione's bedroom door, surprising her and making her lose her focus. Rubbing the spot where her painting had hit her head, she turned to see Draco leaning against her door, smirking. "You DO remember you have a wand, correct?"

"You're hilarious. Yes, of course I remember. I was practicing my wandless abilities. It gets harder to levitate the larger the item is," she retorted, and sent the picture flying to the wall to hang with a flick of her wand. "What's up?"

"Come on out here," Draco told her, and walked out to the common room. Sitting on the sofa, he grabbed his tea and turned to face the middle. When Hermione sat facing him on the other side, he gestured to the tea and plate of fruit. "I noticed you didn't eat much this morning, so I figured this would be nice."

"Yes, thank you," Hermione said, already adding liberal amounts of milk to her cup.

They sat in silence for a full minute before Draco decided to end it.

"Ok, so what happened? Did Harry get jealous? Did you tell him you've fallen for me and never want to see him again?"

"What're you talking about?" she asked, laughing.

Draco rolled his eyes. "You know damn well what I'm talking about. Harry practically ran from the Hall this morning, and not ten minutes later, you followed. You looked upset then, you look upset now, and Harry's looked upset since he walked into the castle yesterday. You've been really nice and everything, but you're looking odd," he told her. "It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Although, I _am_ pretty much a genius; but that's another subject altogether."

Hermione just stared at Draco, not knowing what to say. On the one hand, she really _would_ like someone to talk to, and Harry wasn't exactly available at the moment, physically or emotionally. On the other, she still didn't know where she and Draco stood. After a few seconds, though, she was pouring everything out to him. Starting with her homecoming to her muggle house and ending with that morning in the Great Hall, she told him everything that had been bugging her: Ron's death, trying to master wandless magic, the discussion with her mom, coming back to the castle, Hagrid's death, Harry, Harry's inability to cope, Harry's unwillingness to talk to her, Harry's denial, her survivor's guilt, how she felt bad for feeling good about coming back to the castle, and about the mysterious letters.

"-and now Harry seems mad at me, and this time I didn't even MENTION Ron. I just don't know what to do. I know it all sounds so dumb but it's really eating at me," Hermione finished, sobbing by this point.

Draco set his cup down, reached across the distance, and pulled her into his arms.

"Shhh. It's ok," he said into her hair, rubbing her back. "It's not dumb at all. You put on a good face, but you have to let this out eventually. Harry will come around. You might need to make him, though. I know he won't talk about it, but you're going to have to make him. That's what Severus did for me. It works."

"Professor Snape?"

"Yeah, he's my Godfather." He explained what had happened to him over the last year. "After about two weeks in that house, he finally got fed up with me moping around, and made me talk to him. I didn't want to, but he made me. He's very…uh…persuasive that way."

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"He pissed me off. Bad. Started saying how I was acting like a little girl, how I didn't know what I wanted in life, how he would've tried to do away with me like my mom tried,-"he ignored her gasp and continued- "how I was so out of it, and how I was such a selfish brat that nothing that happened affected me at all."

"That's terrible! How the hell is that helping?"

Draco laughed. "I'm very grateful, actually. At the time I wasn't, I assure you. But after about a week, I realized what he'd done; he forced me to live through what I had been putting off. He _made_ me talk about it. I'm not telling you to intentionally piss Harry off; Severus knew what made me tick and that it'd work. I'm not Harry; you'll know what's best. But I got everything out to him. I told him how I was ashamed of being a Malfoy, and how my mother sealed the deal in my head."

At Hermione's confused expression, he explained. "You see, when I first came over to the Light, I had ulterior motives." He felt her tense, and rushed on. "I wasn't planning on going back, don't worry! Nothing like that. It was just…I knew that I wasn't cut out to be a Death Eater. And in my position with my family's…uh…political agenda, if I wasn't a Death Eater, I was useless." He sighed and hesitated before continuing.

"I didn't want to die, Hermione. I knew that if I didn't join however, death was imminent. If I _did_ join, then I would be killed anyway, whether by an auror because of my poor skills and reluctance to defend Voldemort, or by Voldemort or one of the other Death Eaters because of my reluctance to participate in any activities they may have planned. I had thought about going to Dumbledore before, but I hadn't decided yet and I had no one to talk to. I didn't know Severus was a spy; he played his role well. I thought he was the real deal."

Draco laid his head back against the sofa, and Hermione looked up at him.

"…go on…what happened?" she asked.

He let out a chuckle and said, "Nothing heroic. I told you; I didn't want to die. One night I just….decided…that I really wasn't cut out to be a Death Eater. I went to Dumbledore right after a meeting, took some Veritaserum, and poured out my selfish little heart. Oh, I told myself that I would be doing good in the world; I would eventually restore the good name of Malfoy. But I knew the truth: if I fought for the Light, I would be protected. I would not only be protected by a wizard even mightier than Voldemort, but also by Severus and you, both of which are extremely talented." He smirked at her small blush, and then looked away from her and paused. When she peeked at him, he had a shameful expression on his face.

He let out a sigh, and continued. "I also knew I'd be on Harry's side. And there's almost no other force that's as strong as the one protecting the Boy Who Lived. People were willing to die for Harry. Everyone knew it'd come down to the Boy Who Lived and the Man Who Failed. They were willing to die to protect Harry so he'd have his chance. I knew that if I were on his side of the playing field there'd be a better chance of me seeing my 20's. I hid behind Harry; I'm not proud of it. Anyway, I was 99.9% positive I was on the right side, for more than one reason. That other .1% was made up for me when I saw my mom throw her curse. I couldn't even think of a way to defend myself." Draco looked back at Hermione, old cocky smile hitched back up.

"And you know the rest. The curse missed because I was rugby tackled by Harry, and my mom got hit with another by Moody. The moment Harry pulled me down, my mind caught up and it was much clearer. Suddenly, it wasn't about my safety; who cared about that? It was about defeating the…man…who started it all. I got up and didn't spare a glance backwards. I started dueling harder than ever, and didn't leave Harry's side until we were all separated by that damn smoke and dust. Ron and I flanked Harry until that point though."

Hermione smiled, and wiped her eyes. "Thanks, Draco. Can I ask a question?"

"Do I have a choice?" he asked, while reaching for some grapes.

Ignoring the jibe, she asked, "What made you decide?"

Draco froze for a second, and then popped some grapes in his mouth. "Weren't you listening to a word I said? I know I'm breathtaking but damn, witch. I'm selfish, remember?"

"No, no. Not that, the other reason; the deciding factor. What happened at the meeting that made you sure about leaving the Death Eaters for good?"

Again, Draco didn't meet her eyes, and hesitated before dropping the rest of the grapes back on the platter and standing up. Wiping his hands on his jeans, he told her, "Sometimes, Hermione, you know you won't be able to do something. Sometimes…you know that you'd rather die than to even attempt." He gave her a little smile, sauntered off to his room, and shut the door.

XXX

The next morning at breakfast, Hermione didn't see Harry. Dean and Seamus told her that he had said he wasn't hungry and went to go fly for a bit. Deep in her thoughts about how to get Harry to talk to her, she didn't notice the black falcon flying towards her amid all the owls, nor did she see the three pairs of eyes following the bird's flight path.

The letter was dropped in front of Hermione, breaking her out of her thoughts. Looking down at the letter, she felt the blood drain from her face, and her hand shook as she went to grab it.

Glancing around herself to make sure no one noticed her lapse in control, she opened the letter. She was again grateful that it was a Sunday morning, so not many students were up. As she started reading, she felt her breakfast churning in her stomach.

_Hermione, my dear,_

_How long it seems since I last wrote you, although I know it was only 2 days ago. One day, very soon, we'll meet again. One day, I will make you feel what I've had to feel the last couple years. No one is without pain or sorrow, Hermione. _

_You think you know pain? You think that losing that pathetic friend of yours and a few others means you know of hardship? Try losing much, much more. Try losing your whole life._

_Listen to me, getting caught up in myself. Ah, well, soon it won't matter. Soon, you will redeem yourself and be able to help me rebuild this world. I need you, Hermione. And I will have you._

_ Until then._

Rather than let the Great Hall see a repeat of her breakfast, Hermione jumped up and walked briskly out the doors, not picking up on the form following behind her.

Turning a corner into an empty corridor, Hermione slowed to a walk and allowed a small sob to escape. Suddenly, someone grabbed her and pulled her into a dark alcove. She didn't even have time to scream.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE, NEVER BEEN MINE. NOT MAKING A SINGLE KNUT.**

A good thing to be said about muggle-borns: they have the reflexes taught by the wizarding world, as well as those taught to muggles in situations. Not having time to scream or go for her wand, Hermione did the first thing that came to mind. She raised her knee upwards like a strike from a cobra, and at the same time, wandless magic shot through her and struck her attacker.

"FUCK!" the person yelled. "Lumos!"

Hermione stopped struggling long enough to look up into the face of Draco Malfoy.

"God dammit, Draco! What the hell is the matter with you?" she yelled.

"What the hell is wrong with ME? You almost took my balls off! Good thing I put my thigh in the way. Now my femur just feels broken," he shot back. "_Muffliato!_"

Hermione recognized the diversionary spell from when Harry & Ron would use it in class, or anywhere else they didn't want anyone to overhear them. She raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I'd like to ask you just what the HELL you're doing corresponding with _him,_" Draco hissed, fire burning in his eyes.

Taken aback by his behavior, Hermione didn't know how to respond. Luckily, she had time to think about what to say, because it didn't seem like Draco was finished.

"You think it's _funny?_ Is this some sick JOKE to you? What are you playing at? I thought we were on our way to becoming fairly ok friends, but you apparently have a different agenda," he told her.

Hermione gaped at him wordlessly for a few seconds before she was able to finally ask, "What in the HELL are you talking about?"

Rolling his eyes, Draco sneered at her. "I saw your _letter._" He smirked when she went pale.

"You know who it's from?" she asked.

"Of course I know. How could I NOT know? I've seen that damn bird too many times. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"Oh my god, Draco! Please! Tell me! He never signs them; they just keep coming and coming, and I don't know what to do," Hermione sobbed.

Regarding her with slightly widened eyes, Draco finally understood.

"Wait. You don't know? THESE are the letters you've been getting? Oh shit. _Shit._ We need to see Professor Dumbledore. _Now,_" he said.

"Why? What's wrong? Who are they from?"

He looked at her grimly before responding, "My father."

XXX

Watching his godson hurry from the Great Hall, Professor Snape rose from his chair.

_Why is Lucius writing to Ms. Granger? It makes no sense, but it can't be good, _he thought to himself.

Walking up to the Headmaster's chair, Severus bent a little and asked Dumbledore for a word in his office, then swept out of the Hall.

As he paced the floor of the office, his mind was turning over and over. He had no idea what use the Granger girl could be to Lucius, and he wondered how long she had been getting letters. His thoughts were interrupted by Dumbledore sweeping into the room.

"Severus, what's happened? Why was Lucius' bird delivering a letter to Hermione?" Dumbledore started, his usual carefree voice now brisk with concern.

"I have no idea, Albus. I was just wondering the same," Professor Snape answered. "I don't exactly have the same connections as before, so if anything has happened, I haven't been informed."

"Well, I don't believe it's any error on Ms. Granger's part. Her face paled before she even opened it, which indicates she was not looking forward to the letter," Dumbledore said, now pacing behind his desk.

"No, but it also tells us that this was not the first one she's received. And whatever was said in the letter made her look sick enough to leave. Young Mr. Malfoy followed her out, no doubt to question her as well. I noticed he saw the bird also."

"Yes, I saw as well. I need to get Ms. Granger in here as soon as possible to question her," Dumbledore said, nodding his head absently.

"Yes, Headmaster," Severus answered, and left the office.

XXX

"Hermione, we need to go see Dumbledore," Draco urged, and dropped the _muffliato_ spell. He grabbed her hand and tried leading her out.

Hermione just nodded, and stayed leaning against the wall. They were still wedged in the alcove, and Hermione was trying to wrap her mind around the news that _Lucius Malfoy_ had been writing all the foul letters.

"It makes sense…" she said softly, almost to herself.

"What does?"

"That it's Lucius. I should've seen it," Hermione explained. "The handwriting is reminiscent to yours, he knew too many battle details, and he said I took away his life. He blames me for losing everything. But why? Out of everyone, why _me_?"

"I don't know, Hermione. I don't. I wish I did. But I don't know the workings of that man's mind," he told her. "That's why we need to go see Dumbledore." He started stepping out of the alcove, tugging on her hand, and she half followed.

"He wants me _dead_, Draco," Hermione whispered, tears forming in her eyes. She took another shaky step forward, out of the alcove. "I just don't know what to do anymore. It's all getting to be so much. I hate it." She started crying softly.

Draco pulled her into a tight hug and laid his cheek on her head, closing his eyes, and letting her cry on him.

"Hermione, listen to me. We'll make it through this, ok? I'll protect you. I'll always try and protect you. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," he told her, lightly kissing the top of her hair.

"Well, _this _looks cozy," a voice said behind them, making them break apart. Harry stood leaning against a tapestry, arms crossed in front of him, no kindness detected on his face.

"Harry! What are you doing?" Hermione ask, surprised.

Pushing himself away from the wall, he sneered at her. "I got to breakfast and was told by Dean that you were upset. Apparently, you just got up and walked quickly out of the Hall. They said that _Malfoy_ here followed after you, so you'd probably be ok, but I may want to check on you, just in case. Apparently, though, you're fine. I wasn't sure where your new room was, but thankfully, I had my map." He brandished the folded parchment in the air.

"It said you were here…in an abandoned corridor…in a dark alcove…with Draco Malfoy. I didn't _hear_ anything walking up, but the map _never lies_. And I felt the _muffliato_. I get a weird tingle when spells are used around me," Harry continued. "So I rounded the corner, expecting to find you bawling your eyes out, or being sick or something drastic. But instead, you're just being…cozy." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Harry-," Hermione started as Draco said, "Now just wait a minute, _Potter_-"

"No," Harry said simply, holding up his hand. "You don't look very _upset_ to me, Hermione, so I guess _Draco_ here beat me to the…uh…_comforting._ That's nice." He turned and started walking away.

"Oh stop being such a bitch, Harry!" Draco yelled at his retreating back. Harry froze, and slowly started to turn. "You don't scare me. If you pulled your head out of your ass, you'd see your _friend_ needs your HELP."

"Don't tell ME what to do. And it looks like my _friend_ has all the help she needs," Harry shot back, now walking towards them again.

"Oh, come ON, Harry! Stop being such a douche and look past your effing nose. Her eyes are RED. Her nose is RUNNING and she's SNIFFLING. She's SHAKING, for god's sake. Does that look like we just finished having a good shag?" Draco yelled, now getting into Harry's face.

"Stop it, you guys!" Hermione's plead fell on deaf ears.

"Well, maybe, if it was that BAD!" Harry yelled back. Having barely two inches different in their heights, they were able to somewhat look the other in the eye. "It doesn't matter anyway, because it seems that no matter what was going on, you have it covered and she doesn't _need _me. Apparently, she's realized that I can't protect ANYONE!"

"Harry! No!" Hermione tried yelling, but both red faced men weren't even aware she was there anymore.

"Oh for fuck's sake, Potter! She's not WEASLEY! Get over yourself and your problems for ONE MINUTE and see that you're not the ONLY ONE having issues!" Draco yelled.

All Hermione saw was Harry's wand already in his hand, and the next a white hot light blasted both men away from one another.

Hermione had ducked for cover upon seeing the wands, and when she peeked up, she saw both men lying frozen on the ground, turned face down. Professor Snape was looking down at both in amusement, and flicked his eyes up to meet hers when he saw her moving.

"Are you alright, Ms. Granger?" he asked, still slightly amused.

"Yes, sir. Thank you for that. How long were you watching?" she asked him.

"Around the time Mr. Malfoy hugged you. I got to see the full show, but I thought I should stop it before they hurt anyone else in the vicinity," he responded, not trying to hide the mirth still dancing in his eyes. He kicked both students over, and levitated them to the alcove.

"Ms. Granger, Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with you about this morning in the Great Hall. Let's leave these two here to cool off, as they say," he told her, and started walking down the corridor. "The spell should last for…oh…an hour or so."

Hermione looked at both pairs of moving eyes, then laughed and walked away from the statues of her friends.


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE, NEVER BEEN MINE. NOT MAKING A SINGLE KNUT.**

"Ms. Granger, welcome," Dumbledore greeted her. He gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk, and offered her some tea. Within minutes, he was questioning her.

Feeling a slight hint of déjà vu, Hermione once again recapped everything that had happened to her, starting with the first letter. After she finished, all three sat around in silence.

Finally, Professor Snape broke it. "Why," he asked, "in the WORLD would you NOT tell someone about this? Even if you didn't know who they were from, the sounds of them are bad enough. You should've owled the Headmaster right away."

"I figured they were just somebody's idea of a sick joke! How was I to know it was some maniac?" she exclaimed.

"Ok, you two," Dumbledore said, as Snape went to open his mouth to retort. "Let's take this one step at a time. Ms. Granger, I must first have your word that if you receive any more letters or contact of any sort from Lucius that you will come to either Professor Snape, or myself." He waited for her to nod her word before continuing. "Now, we don't know _why_ he's targeted you, but rest assured I'm going to dig around. Until we formulate a plan, however, you must do whatever you can to stay safe."

"Surely I'm safe at Hogwarts?" she asked, surprised.

"My dear, Hogwarts is very safe, but nothing is foolproof. Look at your young friend, Ms. Weasley in her first year. Then again, at your first three years, not knowing Wormtail was alive and sleeping across from Harry! Evil can find its way into any nook and cranny it finds. Keep up the work on your wandless magic, defensive spells, and healing magic."

"Yes, Headmaster," she responded.

"Go and tend to your friends, Mr.'s Potter and Malfoy now. You'll need their help as well. You can never have too many eyes out."

Acknowledging the dismissal, Hermione bid her Professors a good day and walked out of the office.

XXX

"Listen, both of you. I'm going to unfreeze you, but you have to both keep calm. Harry, I need to speak with you before you go storming off again." Hermione was standing in her common room, talking to the frozen figures of her friends. Instead of risking another corridor fight, she had levitated them both to the Head room, and disarmed them.

Hermione muttered the counter curse at them both, and stepped back. Draco was rubbing his jaw and muttering about it being strained, while Harry stared pointedly in the opposite direction of her.

"You're not going to make this easy, are you, Harry?" she asked. When she heard no response, she started talking anyway. As she got to the part about whom the letters were from, Harry finally broke face. Unfortunately, it wasn't to talk to her. He turned immediately to Draco.

"What the hell is your _father_ doing writing Hermione?" he yelled.

"Oh yeah, Harry, let's start this up again," Draco yelled back. "What a surprise, it's the Death Eater's son's fault! Never mind the fact he FOUGHT ON YOUR SIDE, or HE'S FRIENDS WITH HERMIONE. No no, you're right; I'm behind this ALL!"

Rolling her eyes, Hermione got up and went over to the floo to place an order with the house elves. She was starting to feel hungry now, after fleeing from breakfast earlier. Harry had yelled back something starting with "Well, I wouldn't be surprised-"and now they were face to face again, yelling.

Her platter of fruit and buttered toast appeared on the table, and she walked over to eat and wait out their feud. They still didn't have their wands, so she wasn't too concerned. If it came to punches, she would put a stop to it. Until then, she grabbed a book and started reading.

XXX

The following week, Hermione couldn't help but scan the owls streaming in for a falcon every meal. She noticed Harry doing the same thing, but she was more conspicuous where as he was stealthy. She met the eyes of Draco at the Slytherin table, and knew he had checked too.

Harry gave her a small smile and continued eating as well. He and Draco had rowed for a good quarter hour before realizing that Hermione still had their wands and was reading. After making both promise to behave, she finished explaining to Harry what had happened, then returned their wands. Harry had looked worried over the news of Lucius, but looked profoundly happier upon hearing that he really had just walked in on the wrong part of her and Draco talking.

It was now the start of the second week of school, and Hermione had finally started calming down. Her classes were going well for the first week, and Head duties weren't so bad.

She never had a class alone. Draco had taken on almost as many classes as she had, and the ones they didn't share, her and Harry did. Most of the time, it was all three of them sitting together in class, with her in the middle. Draco had even taken up Muggle Studies this year. He seemed determined to distance himself away from his surname, and truly seemed fascinated by some of the wacky things muggles did. Potions had even been going fairly well now that Snape was free to terrorize all students equally.

Finishing with breakfast, Hermione stood and told Harry she'd see him in Transfiguration. She'd barely lifted one leg over the bench, however, when Harry said, "Hermione!"

She looked at him, and turned her head to see what he was looking at. It was the falcon.

Shaking, Hermione sat down hard on the bench. One of the first year's sitting by her asked if she was ok. Hermione nodded and tried to play it off like she lost her balance, and started laughing.

When the bird dropped the letter in front of her and flew off, Hermione picked it up. She surreptitiously looked around and noticed Draco and Harry watching her, and she was positive she had felt Professor Snape's eyes upon her a moment ago.

Not wanting to seem weird to any of the students still looking at her with concern, she opened the letter lightheartedly and began to read to herself, remembering to keep a calm look fixed on her face.

Finishing and shaking her head in fake amusement, Hermione folded the letter again. Standing up, she asked Harry if he wanted to run with her to get her books before class, and as they started to walk, they were joined by Draco, who flung an arm over her shoulders. Flanked by the two boys, they walked out of the Hall, looking carefree to anyone watching.

As soon as they turned the corner, however, they made a beeline straight for the Headmaster's office.

"Pop Rocks!" Hermione told the gargoyle, who leapt aside. Finally running out of wizarding candy, and realizing that people were able to guess them, Dumbledore had started broadening out to include muggle sweets as his passwords.

When they arrived in the office, Dumbledore had not arrived yet so they all sat around. Hermione chose the seat in front of his desk, while Draco and Harry chose seats near the fire. After scrutinizing the chair for a millisecond, Draco transfigured it into a big, squishy bean bag. He had fallen in love coming across pictures of muggle college dorm rooms for an assignment for Muggle Studies, and since then, Draco had sat in nothing else when in their common room. He had a habit of making new designs and colors every time. This one was a dark, inky blue with wisps of white on it. Apparently, it was supposed to look like a stormy night.

Hermione snorted at it, took out her wand, pointed it at the bean bag, and added some realistic looking lightening to it.

"Sweet…," Draco murmured, looking at it in approval. "Thanks. So, you going to tell us what daddy dearest said?"

"No problem," she said. "And no, I think I'll wait, that way I only have to read it once", and went back to waiting in silence.

Less than two minutes later, Dumbledore and Snape walked into the office.

"Let's hear it, then," Snape said. Hermione glared at him for a second, then began to read:

_Dearest Hermione,_

_It seems you have found out who I am; no bother, though. In fact, I prefer it this way. No more sneaking around, no more cryptic passages. No, now you know. Now we can move on._

_It makes no difference to me if you've befriended that traitor of a son of mine. I'm glad you've found a replacement for Weasley, although I would've thought it would take longer than a week for Potter to give the spot to him._

_Anyway, the plan is forming. Go ahead and feel safe in your school for now. Enjoy it while you can. You won't be graduating._

_ Always, Lucius_

She looked up from the letter to find everyone with different expressions. Snape looked calculating, and blank, as if he didn't want anyone to know what he was thinking. Draco looked shuttered and glared into the fire. Harry was pale and shaking slightly, and refused to meet her eyes. Dumbledore just stared pensively at his fingertips, and sucked on a sugar quill.

Finally, Dumbledore spoke.

"It seems we have an informant in our midst," he stated softly.

Harry's eyes immediately shot to Draco, who instinctively raised his eyes from the fire to meet Harry's head-on with a steely glare.

"Get it out now, Harry, or give it a rest," Draco told him.

Dumbledore cleared his throat as Harry started to respond, but it was Hermione who finally snapped at him.

"Oh stop, Harry. Professor Dumbledore meant we have an informant here at _Hogwarts, _not here in this office. If I didn't trust Draco, he wouldn't be sitting here with us. Now shut it," she hissed. Harry just glared at her, and turned back to the fire.

"Ahem…yes…as I was saying," Dumbledore began again, "Lucius must have someone at the school telling him of Hermione's actions. He knew she knew it was him; maybe one of you said Lucius in class, and someone overheard. Whatever it was, he now knows. I don't like the idea of him having eyes here."

"Nor do I, sir," Draco spoke up, eyes back to the fire. "Lucius is a crazy bastard, but he knows how to get what he wants. It's only a matter of time before he tries something…" Draco was absent mindedly rubbing his left forearm.

"I agree, Headmaster," Snape added, bringing the attention away from Draco. "If Lucius has eyes around the castle, and who knows how many he has, then eventually he will try to take Ms. Granger. There's no hope in scaring him away when we don't know how he's operating, either, unless we scare everyone in the school."

Dumbledore just sat, nodding. After a few moments, he summoned a small pensieve to his desk and started adding thoughts. Ten minutes ticked by whilst he did this, until Hermione could stand it no longer.

"Um…Professor?" she asked timidly.

"My apologies, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said. "I use this smaller pensieve to try and contain my thoughts better when I'm trying to formulate a plan. I think I'm drawing one up." Everyone in the office sat up a little straighter upon hearing this, and waited.

"We must protect Hermione," he said simply.

Hermione stared, dumbfounded, at Dumbledore.

"….Forgive me, sir, but that's what we've been doing," Draco said.

Chuckling, Dumbledore explained further. "Yes, I know, but that was before we knew we had informants. That was when you and Harry were trying to go stealth and not be noticeable. But now is the time for the obvious."

"Headmaster?" Draco questioned, clearly puzzled.

"He wants someone to be outspoken in the protection of Ms. Granger," sighed Snape, getting irritated. "Obviously, it should be Potter."

"Why Harry? I can protect her just as much," Draco shot at Snape.

"Think, Draco! It's your _father_. He's not afraid of you, and if anything, if he believes that you are romantically involved with Ms. Granger, it'll make him want to strike that much sooner! It needs to be someone whom the school believes Ms. Granger to be _involved_ with." Snape shot back.

Draco just glared in defeat, and started sulking.

"Actually, Severus, I don't believe it should be Harry either," Dumbledore said.

Harry and Snape both sat straight up, and said in unison, "Why not?"

"Lucius is not frightened of Harry. He knows that Harry would die trying to protect Hermione, but that means nothing to him," Dumbledore explained.

"The Headmaster is right. Lucius would just take that as more of a challenge," agreed Draco, looking at Harry.

"Then who do you suggest, Headmaster?" Hermione asked, fear showing in her eyes at the thought that there was no one qualified.

"The only other person besides myself that Lucius would not dare cross," Dumbledore stated simply. "Severus Snape."


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE, NEVER BEEN MINE. I'M NOT MAKING A SINGLE KNUT.**

The occupants of Dumbledore's office sat in stunned silence, each one looking at the others, wondering if Dumbledore was kidding. Finally, when they all started to realize that Dumbledore was NOT going to yell "GOT YOU!", Snape decided to break the silence.

"WHAT?"

"You heard me, Severus," Dumbledore stated calmly.

"We all heard you! But I was hoping I heard wrong! What the bloody hell is going through your mind?" Snape continued to yell. "First of all, she's a student. Second, she's _Granger_. Third…she's a _student!_"

"That's disgusting!" Harry exclaimed. "She's…_his student!_"

"Yes, I'm quite aware that Ms. Granger is, indeed, a student at this school, thank you," Dumbledore said, rolling his eyes. "But it's also the best option we have."

"B-but that's…illegal!" Harry yelled.

"No, it's not, Harry," Draco said from his place from the fire, the only one other than Hermione who hadn't spoken yet. "You still think like a muggle sometimes. You have to understand that in the wizarding world, it's considered ok for teachers and pupils to see one another-" at this, Harry gagged-"and since wizards live so much longer than muggles, age differences are not really an issue, either. It's only considered 'illegal' when the student in question is underage. That is never allowed. And it is only frowned upon when the student in question goes from having horrible marks to outstanding marks, which is something that no one will be able to say about Hermione."

"I didn't think about the age thing, but thanks, I'm glad that's in my head too! Hermione doesn't need to be with a guy who's old enough to be her grandfather!" Harry said.

"Excuse me, Potter? I'll have you know, I'm not _that_ old. You _do _remember I went to school with your parents," Snape started.

"It doesn't change a damn thing! It's not happening!" Harry yelled.

"It's not as if I'm jumping at the opportunity, either, Potter," Snape shot back.

"PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE IS RIGHT!" snapped a voice, loudly. Harry and Snape looked over to see Draco standing in front of the fire, now.

"WHAT?" came the reply from both.

"Think about it!" Draco started pacing. "Lucius is crazy; horribly so. He's also been alone for too long, and has lost a lot of his connections and status. He's becoming unstable, which just means he's more dangerous! Hermione knows how to defend herself, but not against my dad! Hell, I can barely defend myself against him, and believe me; I've had to try before. Harry, you can't do it either, we've already explained why. I know enough about him that I _know_ he fears Professor Dumbledore!"

"We're not talking about Dumbledore here, Draco!" Harry shot at him, also standing up.

"Yeah, I get that, thanks Harry," said Draco, getting annoyed. "We can't use the Headmaster because no one will buy that. But Professor Snape is perfect; the half-and pure-bloods will all understand the teacher/student thing, and everyone knows they work well together because of the help she gave him with potions for the war! It'll play out like a sappy love story, with them falling for one another in the face of danger and what have you. And Lucius never dared to challenge Professor Snape the entire 18 years I've been alive. I know enough of his mannerisms to know that Lucius Malfoy fears Severus Snape."

"NO! I still say it's a bad idea!" Harry stubbornly said. "I'd rather 'play pretend' with her. Hell I'd rather Draco did it! I'd rather Lucius actually GET HER than-"

Harry broke off when he heard a gasp. Everyone looked over to where Hermione still sat, having been quiet the entire time. Now she looked at Harry with tears in her eyes, which were narrowed into a glare.

"I can't believe you'd say that, Harry" Hermione said softly.

"Hermione-, "Harry began.

"No. I don't want to hear it. Maybe you'll get lucky and Professor Snape will refuse, then your wish can come true."

"No, Hermione. You're overreacting-" Harry tried again.

"Don't," she continued softly, "tell me I'm overreacting. When did I ever wish that Voldemort would get you? Was it when I was fighting by your side for seven years? A man is after me, Harry. A man hell bent on killing me. Professor Dumbledore has come up with a protection plan to save me, and you'd rather me be dead. How could I not overreact?"

"All I meant was-"Harry tried, yet again. This time, it was Snape to cut him off.

"Do shut up Potter. Your mouth is not large enough to fit both feet," he said, then turned back to Dumbledore. "Headmaster, I really must protest. This _can't _work. Think of how the school, and the whole wizarding community for that matter, will react!"

"I'm sorry I'm so horrible a choice, Professor Snape," Hermione snapped.

"Ms. Granger, stop acting like a woman. I didn't mean that you're a horrible choice for a partner."

"Then what _did_ you mean, precisely?" she shot back.

"I _meant_ it'd be horrible _for_ you, not _with_ you!"

"Oh sure, of course. You don't fool me Professor. I think I know exactly what you think of me!"

"Are you thinking _annoying_? Because I am!"

"You still think I'm some buck toothed, bushy haired, know-it-all!"

"Of course I do! I've taught you ever since you _were_ a buck toothed, bushy haired, know-it-all! And you've done little to sway my opinion otherwise!"

"I've TRIED to change your opinion, but you refuse to see me any other way!"

"That's because you're my student!"

The other three occupants of the office watched the pair go back and forth in the argument like they were watching a tennis match. Dumbledore was cheerfully eating M&M's, a muggle candy he had become fond of, with an amused expression.

"I'm also an adult!"

"I know that! But just barely! Think! What will people say?"

"They'll ask if I belong in St. Mungo's for even attempting to date you! I may even be nominated for another Order of Merlin!"

"That's out of line, Ms. Granger! And they'll say a damn lot worse than that! You'll be regarded as a pariah, forever tormented! The other teachers and other adults alike will think I've poisoned you!"

"I'm not worried what anyone thinks of me, Professor! Right now I'm worried about staying alive! And it seems you're the best to help me!"

"You can't actually be agreeing to this ridiculous plan!"

"Maybe I am! If you don't want to help, just say so!"

"Maybe I will help! You won't last a month!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

Both Hermione and Snape were standing by this point, mere inches from one another. Snape was giving her a glare that sent most adults running, but she was standing her ground. The look she was giving him would've seemed more threatening if she wasn't 5'4" looking up at a man that was 6'3".

Another moment of silence, then Dumbledore clapped his hands together once.

"Well! Good, it looks like we have a plan going. Now we just need to fine-tune it!" he said, trying not to laugh at the looks on their faces. Hermione and Snape seemed to have just realized what they had agreed to, because both had wide eyes and tried looking away. Draco looked amused, while Harry just looked green and horrified.

"Ms. Granger, you realize that you'll have to _pretend_ pretty convincingly at times?" Snape asked softly.

"Yes, Professor," she answered.

"And you realize that you may have to come in contact with me at some point, even if just a…"- he grimaced at the word-"hug…or touching of the hand?"

"Yes, sir," she said wearily.

"And you may even have to kiss me at some point?" he pressed.

"YES. Yes, sir, yes. I get it. Really!" she told him. The two went back to glaring at one another.

"Alright, well the first step is to get this in the public. Ms. Granger can't just run up to Severus and give him a big kiss at breakfast," Dumbledore laughed.

Ignoring Harry's gagging, Draco said, "Sir, what if we start with a rumor? If we go strong at first, then the spy we have won't be fooled. They should start off small. Rumors here spread faster than a wildfire."

"Intriguing, Draco. What do you have in mind?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, Professor Snape is right; people will talk. Therefore, it's completely understandable for Hermione to want to keep it a _secret_, which is why it hasn't gotten out yet, and also why she would dispute all rumors at first. So Hermione can maybe flirt a little in class, saying half concealed innuendos. Professor Snape can let one or two go-"at this, Snape gave a start and stared thunderously at his godson, who ignored him and continued- "but not all, because that's suspicious. Hermione can stand up for him more when students talk about him, also."

"Yeah, that subject shouldn't be hard to come across…," muttered Harry. By this time, everyone had started to ignore him, except for Draco who just rolled his eyes, and continued.

"She can 'accidentally' brush his hand or arm when he walks by in class, give him a sultry look or two, and look at his seat at the High Table more. After all, she's a student, and not very good at espionage, so she wouldn't know enough to _not_ look up there," he said and winked at Hermione, who laughed. "At least," he continued, "that's what Lucius would think. He knows you're good with spells, but he's also had to hear about how much of an emotional brat you are, and how you wear your emotions on your sleeve from me those first five years every time I went home and complained about you three."

"Very well thought out, Draco," Dumbledore murmured.

"It's actually a pretty good plan," Snape grudgingly agreed.

"Wait, so Hermione has to pretend NOT to be in the relationship she's PRETENDING to be in?" Harry asked, screwing up his face.

Hermione laughed. "Yeah, pretty much."

XXX

"I'm sorry to have to put you in a position like this, Professor Snape," Hermione said. She was walking down to the dungeons with him, hoping one or two students would be in the halls and would see her, wonder why she was alone with Snape when she should be in class, and thus help fuel the rumor Draco and Harry would be starting.

"By now, Ms. Granger, I'm used to being subjected to random schemes from the Headmaster," Snape answered. "Shouldn't you be in _class_, Ms. Storm?"

The young Gryffindor first year sulked out from behind the tapestry she had tried to conceal herself behind.

"Sorry, Professor, I'll get right back!" the young girl said. She scurried off with a confused backwards glance at the pair, since Hermione was now giving obvious puppy-dog eyes to the Potions Master.

Waiting until the girl was out of sight, Professor Snape turned to Hermione. "That was brilliant acting. Almost fooled me," he said dryly and continued walking.

"Hey, it's not so easy. I don't know what 'love-struck eyes' are supposed to look like; I've never had to make them!" Hermione shot back, barely resisting the urge to stick out her tongue.

Upon reaching his private quarter's door, Snape unwarded it and held it open for her to walk through. As she passed him, he said, "Come now, Ms. Granger, it's easy. All you have to do is pretend you're a 2nd Year and I'm Professor Lockhart!" He chuckled at her surprised look and full-blown blush.

"Oh, you're _hilarious_, Professor!" she told him, and started laughing too.

"Would you like some tea? Class doesn't end for another 30 minutes and we need some students to see you leaving here," he told her, already getting up to make the tea.

"Please."

Ten minutes later found them sitting in front of Snape's fireplace, drinking tea and maintaining an uncomfortable silence.

"Listen, Professor, I just want to say, again, how sorry I am for dragging you into this. And how grateful I am for you agreeing to it," Hermione said, finally speaking.

"Again, its fine," he answered idly.

"Yes, but I feel it's a major inconvenience for you, and you're going to be put I danger because of me. I mean, what if Lucius decides he doesn't care, and he comes after me anyway? Or what if he's still pissed at you, so this 'relationship' entices him as much as if Harry would've agreed? I can't feel right knowing that you're finally safe, and now I've gone and put you in jeopardy again, and-"she said, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Ms. Gran-Hermione!" Snape interrupted, the use of her first name surprising her to silence. "When I said I'm used to it before, I meant it. I was a spy since before you were born, and up until Voldemort finally fell. Compared to trying to thwart the Dark Lord, Lucius is nothing. And nothing is more _inconvenient_ than your safety being in jeopardy."

Hermione sniffled, and gave him a small smile.

"Because, honestly, the paperwork for a lost or deceased student is horrendous; _Major_ inconvenience," he finished, smirking at her. At that, Hermione threw her head back and laughed.

Wiping her eyes, Hermione said, "Thank you, Professor."

"In private, you can call me Severus, if it makes you feel more comfortable. We are, after all, supposed to be involved," he said, taking a long drink.

"Very true…Severus. Wow. That will take some time. Feel free to use my name too," she added. "How do you think Draco and Harry will start the rumor? They can't just start spewing it; no one will buy that."

"You're right. No, if I know Draco, he already has a plan," Snape said, then glanced at his watch. "A plan that we should start on right now, as a matter of fact. The older Slytherin students that just had a free period should be about to make their way through this area, and the students heading down to Potions will be as well. Remember to look sneaky when you walk out since this is 'still a secret'."

"Yes, sir," Hermione said. "And thanks again, Severus. I'll see you in class this afternoon."

He gave her one last smirk, and then opened the door slightly for her to exit. Students were just starting to trickle in from both ends of the corridor.

Giving her best shifty-eyes, Hermione walked quickly from his quarters, pretending to ignore the students who had started whispering, and went to Muggle Studies.

XXX

That afternoon in Potions, Draco and Harry took their normal places on either side of Hermione. With the commotion of the class walking in, Draco and Harry started muttering to her their "plan".

"Ok, so Malfoy and I are going to spread the rumor," Harry began.

"But not," Draco said, cutting off Hermione, "the way you think. We know they won't believe us, therefore we found a way around it."

"Malfoy taught me this spell to carry my voice. We were practicing ever since we got back to your rooms, when you went off with Snape."

"_You two_ actually spent time together? _Willingly?_" Hermione asked.

"Since we're both relatively talented, I was a great instructor and Harry was an adequate pupil," Draco continued, ignoring her comment.

Harry glared at the word 'adequate', but continued explaining. "We're going to carry a whisper to parts of the classroom, during random times."

"Preferably after you make an ass out of yourself with your innuendo or whatever," Draco cut in.

"Yeah, and the whisper will be so soft, that they'll either think they accidently eavesdropped, or it's their own thought."

Hermione stared at the two smug faces, and laughed. "Wow, you guys did a great job. I'll try to help out a bit on the 'ass' part. What spell is it? I've only heard of the one to carry a voice loudly."

"It's a modified version of that; just as there's different _lumos_ spells. It's called _whisperto_. We already got it down to nonverbal," Harry answered, smugly.

"Again, all thanks to a brilliant instructor…and adequate pupil," Draco added.

"After seven years, I would have thought you all knew how to _be quiet_," said a deep, dangerous voice. Suddenly, all discussions stopped and everyone faced the front of the class where the Potions Master now stood. His eyes swept the classroom and landed briefly on Hermione. Everyone waited for the customary points to be taken, but instead, he continued surveying the class. On both sides of Hermione, she faintly heard Draco and Harry whisper something quickly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two separate heads start, and their faces screw with thought. Amused, she scratched a quick note on a piece of parchment behind her cauldron and angled it for both boys to read.

"What'd you say?" she wrote.

Draco quickly scrawled, "I made a comment about how it's weird that Snape looked at you for awhile and decided not to take points, and mentioned that people had seen you come out of his quarters almost once a day for the last week," before tapping his wand on the paper to erase it. Having read it as Draco wrote, Harry nodded at her as if to say he did the same.

"Ms. Granger!" Snape barked.

Looking up, she tried to hide the smirk she had been giving at reading what Draco put. "Yes, Professor Snape?" she asked in her best sweet voice. Judging by Draco's quite snort next to her, it was too sweet.

"I was wondering if you would care to pay attention, since we are starting a new potion today. It's a very difficult one, so if you believe you're not ready for it, you can leave the classroom," he said in his soft, but threatening, voice.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione smiled up at her professor. Using what she hoped to be a sultry voice, she said, "No, I'd prefer to stay Professor. I love when they're _hard_." She almost lost it when she saw Draco and Harry's frames shuddering from suppressed laughter, but she waited for the proverbial axe to fall.

To everyone else in the classroom, Snape's only change in feature was his one raised eyebrow. No one would guess that he was actually biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

"Well?" he barked at the rest of the class. "Get on with it! Everything is on page 439. And Ms. Granger, I'd like to see you after class."

Hiding her grin, Hermione responded with a "Yes, Professor" and set to work on the potion.

XXX

Snape waited for all the students to leave before warding the Potions classroom door. Many threw furtive glances at Hermione as they walked out.

"Nice work, Ms. Gr-Hermione. If you wanted them to start talking, you did a good job. That got around quite fast."

"Oh, it wasn't just me. Draco and Harry helped," she said. At his raised eyebrow, she explained their part. Unwillingly, Snape looked impressed.

"That worked quite well. The fact they both learned it so well as to perform it so softly in that amount of time is admirable, as is the fact they were able to keep it from me," he said, slightly disgruntled. "You'd better get to dinner. I wanted them to see me hold you back."

"After what those boys whispered all period, they probably figured you wanted to, uh, teach me a lesson," she laughed.

Snape chuckled slightly too, but stopped at stared at her in puzzlement. Hermione was messing the back part of her hair up while biting and sucking on her lower lip.

"What in the devil are you doing?" he asked, starting to chuckle once more.

Hermione started laughing and said, "I'm making it look like I got a good lesson! I can't go into dinner without looking as if I've had a good snog, and tried to hide it! After all, according to the rumors, I've been seen at least once a day for the last week." With that, she left the Potions classroom with a still chuckling Master leaning against his desk.


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE, NEVER BEEN MINE. NOT MAKING A SINGLE KNUT.**

In less than a week, news that Hermione Granger was secretly seeing the dreaded Potions Master was all over school. She had only been asked if it was true once, but she was expecting more. She hadn't let any more innuendos go in class, nor had Harry or Draco whispered in Potions. They had, however, used their whispering spell around the Great Hall during meals. Both boys had started being better around one another, and had taken to actually staying up talking after she went to bed or both going out to the Quidditch field together. They weren't friends, but they were trying.

Saturday at lunch, Hermione finally got tired of people craning their necks to see her, and she invited Harry down to her room. As usual, Draco saw them getting up and went with.

Arriving in the room, Draco plopped down on his newest beanbag chair. This one was the size of a muggle Laz-E-Boy and had green and silver snakes on it, looking like stripes.

"That spread _quick_," Harry said, fell onto her couch, and grabbed one of the three butterbeers that had just appeared on the table.

"You're telling me," she sighed, closing her eyes and lowering into her muggle recliner she had transfigured. "So far I've heard that my 'relationship' has been going on since the middle of the summer, I floo from here into his quarters at night, and some really nasty hints about just exactly _why_ I became _Head_ Girl."

Draco and Harry both started laughing hard at that, and Hermione just stuck her tongue out.

"Wow, Hermione; you're a slut," Draco said, wiping tears from eyes. He looked up in time to see a pillow hit his face, and the laughter started again.

"Ah, well, if it keeps her safe, Hermione can be the best damn slut she wants to be," Harry said, still laughing.

"Really, you guys are simply hilarious. Honestly," she told them, trying to fake anger. Finally giving in and laughing, she raised her butterbeer to Draco in a mock salute. "Here's to Draco, and his ingenious plan!"

Draco leaned back and took a sip of his drink, and looked around smugly. "Yes, I do believe I just may be the best strategist ever. I should've joined the Light sooner; we may have won earlier."

Harry set his drink down, laid his head back, and threw his arm over his face.

"I mean," Draco continued, "who else could've thought up my plan right off the bat? No one. _Both_ of my plans, actually…"

Harry mumbled something into his arm in an agitated voice.

"What was that, Harry?" Draco asked. "Were you congratulating me on my skills?"

"I _said_", Harry started, uncovering his face and sitting up, "to shut the hell up." His green eyes had gone cold.

"Whoa, dude. What's got your panties in a bunch?" Draco asked.

"Shove it, Malfoy," Harry said, and covered his face once more.

"No, I don't think I will. Stop hiding, Harry, and say what you need to say. It'll save Hermione and I a lot of time trying to tiptoe around you," Draco shot. "Well, Hermione only, really; I'm not one for tiptoeing. I think it rather makes me lose a few masculinity points."

Bolting up again, Harry gave Draco a look of pure hatred. "I'll leave you two alone then."

"Harry, stop-," Hermione said, but was cut off by her best friend as she knew she would be.

"Leave it alone, Hermione," Harry mumbled as he got up. "See you at dinner." With that, he left.

A few seconds silence, then, "Wow. You hardly even try anymore, do you?"

Glaring at the blonde, Hermione said, "It's hard to when he won't let me help."

"Hey, I get it, don't worry. Just making conversation," he drawled.

"Nice conversation starter," he remarked dryly.

Stretching, Draco said, "That's me; nice all over."

"What's that?" Hermione asked abruptly.

Putting his arms down from his stretch, he looked at her warily. "What's what?"

"That thing on your arm."

"What thing on my arm?"

"The big thing on your arm."

"There's no big thing on my arm."

Strolling over to the bean bag impatiently, Hermione went to grab the arm in question, but he jerked away.

"It's nothing."

"First it doesn't exist, now it exists, but it's nothing."

"Hermione, stop; don't start this."

Sighing, Hermione said, "If it's nothing, why won't you let me see it?"

"You don't need to. End of story." He got up and started walking towards his bedroom. As he was about to close the door, he heard her say, "And you tell Harry to stop hiding."

He paused for a fraction of a second, and then whirled back; he stalked over to her, pulling his left shirt-sleeve up in the process.

"THERE! That's what it is!" Draco snapped at her, sticking his arm in front of her face. There, in middle of his pale, perfect skin, was a huge burn, like a deep imbedded brand. Not just any burn either; no, this one looked like-

"A skull," Hermione said in a hushed voice. "Draco…what _happened_?"

Voice shaking with suppressed emotion, Draco only said two words: "Lucius happened."

"Why? What happened? I thought he wanted you to be a Death Eater?"

"He did," he answered in a constricted voice.

"Then why would he mar your skin like that? Isn't that where the Mark is supposed to go?"

"That's _precisely _why he did it; he was teaching me a lesson." He flopped down onto his bean bag chair, and put his face in his hands. Mumbling through them, he continued.

"We had a row, see, about two or three months before I finally left. We discussed my _plans_ for after Hogwarts, and I made the mistake of being somewhat honest." Looking up from his hands, he stared straight ahead. "God, I actually told my father that I didn't think I wanted to be part of Voldemort's circle. He flipped."

Hermione magically expanded the bean bag to the size of a large loveseat and lowered herself next to him. "What happened?" she asked softly.

Turning to look at her, he gave a small smile. "He told me that he wouldn't have a son for a traitor, of course. I told him I wasn't going to turn sides, and that I just didn't want to be a Death Eater. Lucius was…mad beyond words. Then, being me, I had to make it worse."

At her puzzled expression, he explained. "I made a joke. I told him I wasn't fond of tattoos, especially ones that burn." He nodded at her sharp intake of breath. "Yep, you got it. He went nuts, and he told me that I didn't know what burning felt like. He told me that it's an _honor_ to wear the Mark and have it burn when our _Lord_ needs us. He told me I wasn't worthy to have the Mark, but he would give me one anyway."

He laughed an exasperated laugh. "I actually tried getting away, even though I knew I had no chance in hell. As soon as I took a step backwards, he already had his wand out. Mine was out as well, but I wasn't fast enough; he petrified me in a flash. And since I'm left handed, and my wand arm was sticking out from my feeble attempt at a shield, he had perfect access."

Turning to look at her, he asked, "Have you ever been petrified?" When she shook her head no, he continued. "It's not fun. You're frozen, but you know everything that's going on around you; you feel everything." Draco looked straight ahead once more, and his eyes looked darker.

"Lucius found a way to modify the spell; don't ask me how, I don't know. I know they've used it on victims during their meetings and raids. I was completely frozen…except my mouth. He wanted to hear me, sick bastard. Anyway, he started drawing on my arm with his wand tip, except wherever his wand touched, it burned my flesh. I could hear him muttering a curse along with it, but I couldn't concentrate on the words; I was yelling too loud. I can't describe how it felt. He even colored it in with his wand, like a marker. I don't know how long we stood there, but it had to be almost a half hour or more. To me, it felt like a full day. He told me that I can have a skull now, and when I've proven myself to the Dark Lord, he will remove it and brand me with his Mark."

"Why didn't you have Madam Pomfrey or someone remove it? There's burn removal spells, and burn salve potions…," Hermione trailed off.

Draco looked down at his arm in disgust. "Don't you think I tried? I don't know what he did to it, but it won't come off anymore than Severus' Mark will. Lucius said that Voldemort would have the power to remove it, but who knows. Dumbledore even tried; nothing works."

Hermione just stared wordlessly at his arm for a minute or two, until she was shaken out of her staring by the tears splashing on his arm. For a second, she thought they were her own, for she had certainly teared up. However, raising her eyes to Draco's face, she noticed his gray eyes were red rimmed, and he had tear tracks on his cheeks.

Grabbing his head, she pulled him down to her shoulder and held him. As she held him, she apologized for asking, and he assured her he was fine.

Finally, after about 15 minutes, both people untangled themselves from one another. Grabbing for another butterbeer, Draco shook his head and laughed.

"Well," he said, "It's all for the best anyway. I don't think he wanted a son like me around forever. I don't think I'll be carrying on the family name with an heir anytime soon in this lifetime."

Laughing, Hermione said, "What, none of the girls here up to the Malfoy Standard?"

"Honey, _no_ girl is up to _my _standard," he laughed, taking another drink.

"Ok, then how about some of the men here?" she said slyly, laughing when he choked on his drink.

"Are you calling me a creampuff?" Draco asked when finished coughing, looking at her horrorstruck.

"Yep," she said back.

"Oh. Ok then. Just making sure," he said as he leaned his head back on his chair. "How'd you guess?"

"Draco, I'm not blind. And I can read between the lines you spew," she laughed. "So…when are you going to tell Harry?"

This time, he spit out his mouthful of butterbeer and started coughing. When he was finally finished, he gaped at her.

"Oh, come off it, Draco! You may hide it from everyone else, but that's because no one else spends as much time around you as I do! I've just been waiting for the right time to talk to you about it. And as for Harry, you forget that I spent _seven years_ being a body guard of sorts, and being paranoid and watchful of people around him. I notice when people look at him more than usual, and the looks they give him."

Draco wasn't looking at her. When she nudged his leg with hers and he still ignored her, she sighed.

"Draco, it's ok. I don't care if you're gay. I can't say if Harry is, but I _can_ say that if he were, I would be totally fine with the two of you," she said softly.

Finally, he looked at her. "Really?" he asked, doubt in his eyes and voice.

Laughing, Hermione said, "Of course!"

Old haughty smile hitched right back in place, he said, "I know this makes you heartbroken, but just know that if I were into the girls, I may have considered you for a drunken shag one night when I was desperate."

"Oh, thanks so much!" she said, pretending to be delighted. "It's quite alright, though, because according to the school, I have Severus to keep my mind off you, or try to be like you so I love him the same."

"Poor bloke has a lot to live up to, then," he drawled, smiling as he took another swig.

XXX

Later at dinner, Hermione was trying to have a civil conversation with Harry, but he wasn't making it easy.

"Listen, I just don't understand why you can't just be _nice_ to him!" she argued.

"And I don't know why you can't just drop it. We've never been friends, we're not friends now, and we never will be," he said, glaring at his plate of spaghetti like it personally told him to be friends with Draco.

"You two seemed to be pretty nice to one another a week ago," she mumbled.

Turning his glare to her, Harry said, "Yeah, well, that was a moment of weakness. I forgot how it felt to have someone around who doesn't boss me around every second of the day."

"Maybe I should do it more often, then you'll be driven to be friends with him," she answered casually, pretending to be engrossed in her copy of The Daily Prophet.

"Oh, don't be such a-" Harry's comment cut off quickly.

Hermione's eyes shot over to him, and she snapped, "A _what_, Harry? Finish your sentence. Why so quiet?"

In response, he barely tilted his head to the side. Her eyes shot to where he was looking and saw the falcon. They had expected a letter from Lucius before now, since they were sure he had heard the rumors. Face going white at seeing the bird, she looked directly at Snape's seat. He sat watching the bird's flight with lips tightened in displeasure, and nodded slightly at her when she picked up the letter to encourage her to open it.

_ Dear Hermione,_

_Why must we play these games? If you are in need of a Death Eater, why settle for a traitor, when you can have the real deal?_

_You're starting to piss me off, woman. I don't play silly mind games. I don't care what perverted relationship you have going on with Severus, it's going to stop. NOW._

_Do you want to be the cause of more hurt, Hermione? If not, I suggest you listen to me. And so you know I'm serious, I left you a little present in your room, behind that wonderful prefect door._

_ Love, Lucius._

Hermione flung the letter at Harry, and barely gave him enough time to read it before jumping up. She mouthed "my room" to Snape, and didn't wait around to see if he understood. She was already to the Great Hall doors when she noticed both boys on the sides of her like always.

She started sprinting in the direction of her room. Behind her, she heard Draco ask Harry ask what was happening, and heard him give Draco a quick overview. Draco swore and ran faster. They had just arrived at the door when Dumbledore and Snape rounded the other corner. Clearly, Dumbledore knew his own quick ways around the castle.

They all walked inside and Hermione went straight to the door and opened it. Since she didn't specify a destination, there was just a dark, empty niche. Sitting right on the floor was a box with a huge red bow and a tag that said Hermione's name on it.

As she bent to pick it up, both Draco and Snape yelled "STOP!"

She jumped back, and they strode forward. Draco looked at her and explained, "My father has a nasty habit of jinxing things. Never pick up any box from him; or anything, really. I get scared every time you pick up his letters."

Meanwhile, Snape was busy casting spells at the box to reveal any curses. When he found none, he grabbed up the box and tore off the ribbon.

Draco and Dumbledore strode forward to Snape as he opened the box.

Immediately, Snape swore, Dumbledore turned his head, and Draco turned his whole body away.

"What? What is it?" Hermione asked, slightly hysterical, Harry standing right behind her, ready to grab her waist in case she ran forward again.

"Nothing you need to see right now, Ms. Granger," Snape said slowly, and started closing the lid.

"Like hell I don't!" she snapped, and using her wandless abilities, muttered a quick _accio_ under her breath_. _The box sailed into her hands and she went to open it.

"Hermione, don't!" Draco said, but not in time.

Hermione opened the box, and Harry got a full view from over her shoulder.

Not even Harry's retching could drown out the screams coming from her mouth.


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: I WISH I WAS THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THIS WORLD BUT ALAS, I AM NO JO ROWLING. **

"I don't give a DAMN about the plan anymore!" Hermione yelled in Dumbledore's office. It was now an hour after the group had found Lucius' "present" and she was having a hard time agreeing with her professors and friends.

"Ms. Granger, I know you're upset, but we have to press on," Dumbledore repeated.

"Hermione, it's working. Maybe not the way we planned, but still working. My dad is _scared_, that's why he got so upset. He covers up fear with anger and insanity. If we stop now, he'll think he won, and he may strike sooner. And I'd rather him not try to take you until we know exactly why he's doing this!" Draco told her vehemently, trying to make her see reason.

But none of this mattered to Hermione. She didn't care about her safety anymore, not when it endangered innocent bystanders. Bystanders like her poor Crookshanks, who had to suffer because of her problem. Dumbledore had taken the box with her dead familiar right away, and assured her that he would get a proper burial.

"Listen, I don't care how scared he is, I'm not going to let you all risk your necks for me, just so I can go to sleep one night and wake up with one of your heads next to me on the pillow!"

"Ms. Granger, we're pressing on and that's the end!" Snape snapped.

"Yeah, Hermione, we can't stop now. I want you to be safe. I can't lose you," Harry said softly.

Looking around and seeing that no support was coming, she sat down in a huff.

"Do you think the spy could be one of the prefects?" Harry asked the group at large.

"I'm not sure. That seems the most logical, since it was hidden behind the prefect door, and all the prefects know that if the Head Girl or Boy isn't there to take a message, they can leave a note. Since you can't walk straight into the Head room without being invited in, the prefects just have to drop the note on the floor of their nook. To us, it only looks like a nook when we haven't specified a room; to the prefects, it's opposite. Unless invited in, it always looks like a small closet. Anything they leave in there is automatically transferred to ours," Draco explained, taking up his usual pacing by the fire.

"Can't we trace it back to at least which house it came from?" Harry asked him.

"No. Usually the prefects are supposed to address it, and the Head Boy or Girl will know who to get back to. There's no magical trace on it," Dumbledore answered.

"Well, it still narrows our field down doesn't it? I mean, instead of all the kids in the school, we've whittled it down to the handful of prefects for each house," Harry stated.

"So it would seem," Snape trailed off, looking uneasy, his face mirroring that of his godson's.

"No. I don't think so," Draco said abruptly. "It's too simple; too obvious. Lucius is crazy, but he's not stupid. I'd be willing to bet that he did it this way on purpose so we think it's a prefect."

"How else would he have known about the prefect door?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know but it's a disturbing thought. I believe Draco is right, however. I don't see Lucius going in for the obvious kill, so to speak. He might've had his spy listen in or something," Snape said. Everyone sat around contemplating that troubling notion.

"I suggest we get Ms. Granger back to her quarters. She will be excused from classes today," Dumbledore finally said.

"No," Hermione said abruptly. "I don't want him knowing he got to me. I'll go to class and meals."

"Very well. Severus, will you escort her back to her dorm so she can collect her backpack? I want to speak with Mr.'s Potter and Malfoy.

Snape bowed his head a fraction in compliance, and then guided Hermione out of the office.

They walked in silence; neither one pretending to be _involved_, nor any forced words of comfort were spoken, which was a relief to both. When they got to her room, they both walked in and she ran to her room to grab her bag while he stood waiting in the commons area. Finally she came out again, and both turned to leave, neither one even sparing a glance towards the prefect door.

XXX

"WHEW! What a week!" Harry exclaimed, dropping onto the couch in Hermione's commons area.

"You're telling me," Hermione agreed, rubbing her eyes. She was sitting in one of Draco's beanbag chairs, this one she had made scarlet with a huge gold lion, including a tail sticking out the back. Lately, out of sheer boredom, Hermione and Draco had started turning each other's random items into their house colors using a spell that lasted a full 24hrs, and the rule was that after you were got, you had to use the item like you normally would for that day. Already that week Hermione had had to brush her teeth using a green toothbrush shaped like a serpent, and Draco had to walk around using a bright red and gold striped backpack for a day. That morning she had woken up to find Athena no longer brown, but green and silver. In turn, she had just finished putting the final touches on his beanbag before flopping down in it.

"You know? This is pretty comfortable…" Hermione said, moving her butt around. Harry just laughed into his arm, which he had flung over his face.

That week, there had been no letters from Lucius, but they were all on edge waiting. They had continued on with the plan, and Hermione had let two more innuendos slip in class, one of which Snape deducted points from and told her to stay after class. When everyone had left, they had sat around talking and laughing about class for about 15 minutes before she ran off to be late to lunch again, thus fueling more rumors.

"So, how's living with Malfoy going?" Harry asked, nonchalantly.

"It's still great," Hermione laughed. "You know, he's not such a bad guy. You could try to get to know him a little more."

When Harry stayed silent, she continued. "It's hard on him this year, too. Almost half of his House can't stand him anymore because he did the right thing, and he never had any friends from the other Houses."

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"Oh, I know he was a right bastard, don't get me wrong. But that was when he really felt that way. When he came over to the Light, he was never allowed to be nice to anyone because he had to keep up appearances. Now, he's free to be whom he wants to be, but people still won't accept him."

"And I suppose you accept him? All of him?" Harry asked.

"More than you know, Harry. I've already had this talk with him; he knows how I feel about him-"

"And how exactly do you _feel_ about him?"

"Oh, god, Harry; I don't _feel_ romantically about him in any which way, trust me. Don't act so jealous," she told him.

"I'm not _jealous_. I could care less who he wants to date. He can be with every girl in this school and I wouldn't care-"

He was cut off by Hermione laughing.

"Wow, Harry. I meant don't be so jealous he's hording me or whatever. I never insinuated you were jealous of _him_."

"Whatever, Hermione; that's not what I meant."

"Stop being so moody all the time. You know, he was right last week: I'm not going to keep tiptoeing around you," she told him.

"I don't ASK you to tiptoe!" Harry said, his voice rising.

"No, but if I don't, then you get pissed!" she shot back.

"Just drop it, Hermione!"

"No! You get so upset at the smallest thing! All Draco said was that he was a good strategist, and you blew up!"

"I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. This," Harry said through his teeth.

"Well, I don't give a damn!"

"You just don't know when to quit do you, Hermione?" he said, jumping up off the couch.

"No, I don't! You need to talk!"

"Whoa. Uh, hey. I was just, uh, going to do some homework," a voice said from the door. Hermione and Harry both looked over to see Draco leaning against the door frame. "You know, I think I'll just get my books and do it in the library. Yeah. That's good. Bye."

They both watched the blonde walk out of the door, and then back at one another.

"I'm leaving," Harry said flatly.

"Like hell you are," Hermione answered.

"I don't feel like talking."

"Too bad."

"Give it a rest, Hermione," Harry said, as he turned his back on her to walk away.

"Why'd you freak out at Draco, Harry?" He ignored her and kept walking to the door.

"Why'd you freak out, Harry?" she repeated. This time, he hesitated at the door, his outstretched hand trembling with suppressed rage. Remembering what Draco had told her about Snape, Hermione knew what she had to do. Hating herself, she asked," Is it about Ron?"

Whirling so fast she almost missed it, Harry turned to look at her with murder in his eyes.

"DON'T TALK ABOUT HIM," Harry nearly yelled.

"Talk about whom, Harry? Ron? Ron Weasley?"

"Yes, Ron! Why should I even be surprised that you aren't as upset? You didn't care about him like I did! YOU DIDN'T WATCH HIM DIE!"

"Harry, I-" she started, taken aback by his outburst.

"NO! I'm happy that you were able to replace him so fast, but I can't! Oh, you think you found a great replacement too, don't you? HE WAS OUR STRATEGIST! NOT FUCKING MALFOY! DRACO WILL NEVER BE AS GOOD AS HIM! HE'LL NEVER BE RON! WHAT, YOU THINK THAT DRACO IS SO MUCH BETTER, AND THAT'S WHY RON DIED? LIKE RON WAS SO HORRIBLE AT STRATEGY?" Harry screamed at her, now worked into a rage. "AND I KNOW THIS MEANS SHIT TO YOU, BECAUSE HE WASN'T YOUR BEST FRIEND!"

"YES HE WAS! YOU BOTH WERE! YOU STILL ARE!" Hermione said defensively.

"THAT'S BULLSHIT AND YOU KNOW IT! YOU WERE NEVER ONE OF US! YOU WERE ALWAYS THE THIRD WHEEL! RON WAS MY BACKUP UNTIL THE MINUTE HE DIED! WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?"

"HOW DARE YOU! WHERE WAS I? I WAS FIGHTING TO GET TO YOU! THERE HAPPEN TO BE QUITE A FEW DEATH EATERS AROUND, IF YOU HADN'T NOTICED!"she screamed.

"YEAH, AND HE WAS ABLE TO FIGHT THROUGH!"

"NOT UNTIL THE END!"

"DRACO WILL NEVER BE PART OF US!"

"I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE HIM INTO RON! I'M TRYING TO LET HIM BE HIS OWN PERSON! HE'S MY FRIEND NOW TOO! I LOVE RON, AND IF HE WERE HERE I'D _STILL_ BE DEFENDING DRACO!"

"WELL HE'S NOT HERE, THANKS TO ME!"

Hermione was brought up short by that, and stared at Harry. He was breathing hard, his face was red, and there were tear tracks coming from his green eyes.

"Harry, what do you mean? It wasn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for his death," Hermione said.

"Don't lie to me, Hermione. I know the truth. I killed him. I killed Ron. You think I don't know what you think of me because of it? You think I don't know that Molly and Ginny and the rest of the Weasley family hate me, and are too revolted to even look at me? Charlie's a teacher here now and he won't look at me! YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW IT'S MY FAULT? YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAUSED THE WAR? THAT I WAS THE REASON THAT HAGRID AND ARTHUR AND PERCY…KINGSLEY…THE CREEVEYS..." Harry started choking up. "Viktor. Hannah. Cho. RON. So many more. It was ME. I SHOULD'VE BEEN THE ONE TO DIE! NOT RON!"

"Harry, come here," Hermione said, walking towards him.

"NO, Hermione. I'm the reason that Ron is dead. I'm the reason that Ginny doesn't eat or sleep. It's because of me that families were broken up."

"No, Harry. It was because of Voldemort that they were broken! Not you!"

"How long can I ride the 'Voldemort did it' train, Hermione? It's my fault. I told him to back away; I swear. I told Ron I had it by myself. He never listened to a word anyone said, ever," Harry said. Hermione just watched him, tears streaming down her face.

"I told him I could handle it; I told him to help protect you. He told me to bugger off. The whole time, we're both firing off curses, arguing. Voldemort heard us of course," Harry said, staring off. "I see it every night, Hermione. You don't. I see the whole scene replay in my head. Voldemort smiled, and turned his wand to Ron. He didn't even have a chance. He couldn't see; the smoke and dust didn't affect my eyes as much because of my glasses. I should've cast the _impervious_ on him."

Harry started crying with renewed force. "Oh god, Hermione! I saw him do it! The spell hit him right in his face! I don't know what happened to me after that, but I know something snapped inside. I don't know what spells I was throwing, but they were all coming out stronger. I remember it feeling like every spell was being squeezed through my wand, like they were too big. It was the first time I used the Avada Kedavra, and I felt nothing. NOTHING! No remorse, or revulsion. It felt the strongest, though. I hit him directly in the face; twice. The first time, he screamed. The second time, he didn't."

"Harry…" Hermione said soothingly, walking towards him again.

"I felt it when he died, Hermione," Harry whispered. "Voldemort. I don't have the constant headache anymore; I felt it snap the moment the spell hit him the second time. I fired off two consecutive Avada's within a few moments of one another, and I felt nothing of it. And you know what, Hermione? I still feel nothing of it. I'm a horrible person Hermione."

"No, Harry, no; you're not. Listen to me: Voldemort deserved it. And no one is revolted by you! Don't think that!"

"But Ginny-" he started.

"Ginny's in mourning, Harry! The whole family is! I bet if you tried to talk to Charlie, you'd see that he's not avoiding you. He's worried about Molly and Ginny too. Maybe one day you'll get to the point where you're able to talk to Ginny about Ron; I think she needs it. They were your family, too, Harry; they would never hate you."

Harry stood there for a second staring past her, and then startled her by throwing himself on her in a huge hug. She felt his whole body shake as he cried into her shoulder.

"I miss him so much, Hermione. So effing much. He was my first friend; we did everything together. I miss him so bad," he sobbed in a muffled voice.

Tears still streaming silently down her face, Hermione rubbed his back and just murmured, "Me too, Harry. Me too."

They stood that way for a good 10 minutes before Harry finally straightened up and cleared his throat. When he tried talking, his voice was croaky.

"I'll uh, try to be nicer to Malfoy. It might take some time, though," he told her.

"That's fine, as long as you try. You know, he never wanted to take Ron's place; he told me that the other night. He said he felt bad about the whispers around the school that he joined the 'trio'. Oh, and he _really_ hates being called Malfoy. Just a heads-up," she said.

"I'll see you at dinner, Hermione. And thanks."

"Anytime, Harry, you know that. Are you going to be ok being by yourself right now?"

"I can't promise I'll be _ok_, but I won't be alone; I'm going to find Ginny. It's time we had a talk," he said to her. With that, he gave her one last hug and walked out the door.


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: STILL NOT MINE, STILL NOT RAKING IN THE GALLEONS.**

"Really, Headmaster?" Draco asked sarcastically. He and Hermione were sitting in Dumbledore's office, having their usual Head meeting.

"Yes, really, Mr. Malfoy. I believe that a little fun is what the school needs after the year we had. You both need to inform the Prefects of the details, as I expect _ALL _of you to be in attendance. Even the teachers will be," Dumbledore said serenely.

"But why not stick with the usual Halloween _feast_? That's always festive. We don't need a dance!"

"Not just any dance, Mr. Malfoy; a Masque. I expect all my Prefect's, teachers, _and _two Head students to be in costumes. I believe it will give everyone a chance to finally let loose and be creative," Dumbledore explained.

"What are the restrictions, Headmaster?" Hermione asked, vigorously taking notes, since last week Draco took the notes.

"Ah, yes; restrictions. Well, the obvious ones are no inappropriate costumes. Even if the student in question is of age, we have children attending who are not. Therefore, I will not have any students dressed like they belong in a Knockturn Alley brothel. Also, _NO_ variations of any kind of: dementors, Death Eaters, dark arts, and of course, Voldemort. I will need the help of some volunteer Prefects, and you two of course, with the decorations. Today is October 13th, therefore everyone will have about 2 and a half weeks to prepare, which should be plenty of time to whip together a costume. I will make the announcement tonight at dinner. I trust that by then the Prefects will be well aware."

"Yes, sir. I'm calling a meeting right now, as I speak," Draco said, as he fidgeted with the galleon in his hand. Hermione had created them a few weeks prior, and they were reminiscent to the ones she had made for the D.A. in her fifth year. These coins would still heat up, and the numbers would change, but they could also inscribe short messages into them, such as A.S.A.P.

"Very well, Head Boy & Girl; do your stuff," Dumbledore said.

They both got up to leave, and as they reached the door, Dumbledore added, "By the way, Mr. Malfoy, I love what you've done with your hair."

Hermione started laughing hysterically at the scowl on Draco's face, as he turned to leave once more. That morning, Hermione had charmed his shampoo to turn his hair scarlet and gold as the ultimate prank, getting him back for turning her nails, backpack (including the contents), and eyebrows green and silver the morning before.

Holding his mock Gryffindor head high, Draco walked out of the office.

XXX

"So, what you figure? I can go as Beauty, and you can go as Beast?" Draco said, lazing in his chair (today resembling a large tongue, which Hermione thought was gross.)

"Oh, you're hilarious Draco. Besides, I'm not going with you; I have Severus remember?" Hermione laughed.

"Oh god, I didn't even think about what Severus would be wearing! Think I could convince him to go as a bunny?"

Still laughing, Hermione managed to choke out, "Not on your life!"

They had just finished the Prefect meeting 5 minutes prior. The Prefects were all in different states of excitement, and many volunteered for decoration help.

"Think if I go as a beautiful witch, Harry would go with me?" Draco laughed.

"Wouldn't work, because then he'd take you and wonder why you didn't dress up, not knowing that you are," she said.

"True, true; plus I don't think I could bear to pretend to be a witch. I mean, how do you perfect a face like this one?" A moment later a pillow hit his perfect face.

"Ok, so really, what should we go as?"

"Well, I think you had an idea when you mentioned Snape, even if you were joking. You two should coordinate, since everyone will think you will anyway. It's not unusual for a teacher to dance with a student, either. We know Lucius' spy will be there, so it's good to keep it up," he told her, his voice slipping into his serious, strategic one.

"That should be easy," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"If you explain what I just explained, he'll understand. I wouldn't be surprised if he already came to the same conclusion."

"Maybe," she sighed.

"I wonder how I'd look as the Phantom of the Opera. Or we could take a trip into Muggle London one weekend, and I could get a muggle costume. That would be hilarious," Draco said, back in his own world. "I'VE GOT IT!" he yelled, startling Hermione out of her own costume thoughts. "I'LL GO _AS_ A MUGGLE!"

Hermione started laughing so hard, for a second she didn't realize that there was another voice laughing with her until she turned to see Harry holding onto the door frame, almost bent over laughing.

"Harry! How're you?" she exclaimed. Since that day a little over a week ago, Harry had become more cheerful. She'd seen him smile more in a week than she had in the whole last month.

"I'm good. I walked in on time to hear Draco say he could pass for a muggle, and I couldn't help it," he said, wiping his eyes from laughing.

"I don't see what's so funny. I could pass for a muggle," Draco sniffed haughtily, but the corners of his mouth were turned up.

"Sure, man; whatever you say. So why is he dressing like a muggle?"

Hermione and Draco filled him in on the Masque plans, and he groaned. "Oh great; this should be entertaining."

"Weren't you always crying about how you didn't want to be Harry Potter anymore?" Draco pointed out. "Well, now here's your chance."

"Funny, Draco. Real funny. How about I go as you, and you go as me?"

"No, I don't think I could pull off black hair," Draco said casually, choosing to ignore the sarcasm. "So, are you going to take Ginny?"

Hermione figured she was the only one to notice Draco tense when he asked Harry, and she busied herself with pretending to get comfortable, and acting like she didn't notice how thick the air had got.

"God no; Ginny's like my sister. No, I haven't really thought of anyone to take," Harry said mildly.

"It's probably because we just told you," Hermione said, but no one paid attention.

"I was just wondering, because I noticed you were spending a lot of time around her, and I knew she used to be taken with you when she was younger," Draco said, trying to sound blasé.

"No, I've just been helping her through some stuff about Ron, that's all," Harry answered quietly.

"Oh, ok," Draco said indifferently.

A moment of tense quiet followed, and then Harry broke it by asking casually, "So, have you thought of anyone to take? You've known for almost the whole day."

"No. No, I've just been thinking about the perfect costume. It'll be nice not being Draco the Death Eater for a night," he said, cheeks tinged a light pink color. "So have you thought about anyone yet? Oh, I just asked that, huh? Well, have you thought of anyone since I asked?"

"You mean about 15 seconds ago? No. I'm not sure I'll have a date," Harry said. "I won't know who'll be going with me because they like _me_, or because they want to be _seen_ with me. Not many girls I'm interested in here, either."

"No girls here up to your standard, huh Harry?" Hermione said idly, smirking when Draco shot her a glare.

"No, not really," he answered, not noticing.

"Yeah, I'm not really interested in the girls here either. So I'll probably wind up not taking a date," Draco said.

"Not even if someone asks you?" Harry said, with a very faint, almost unnoticeable pink tinge on his cheeks.

"Well, if the right person asked, I might consider it," Draco trailed off.

Another second of silence and Hermione stood up.

"Alright then! That was productive. I'm going to go see Snape now," she said, and left the two boys in the living room trying to make conversation.

XXX

"Hermione, what a pleasant surprise," Snape said sarcastically, opening the door for her to enter his office, smirking when he heard her mutter, "Oh, I'm so sure."

Snape offered her some tea before he went to sit back at his desk to continue grading.

"To what do I owe this honor?" he said as he slashed through a whole paragraph with red ink.

"A couple reasons actually. One, I wanted to get out of my rooms; the air was a little too thick. And two, I wanted to discuss the Masque."

"Ah, yes; the Masque. Albus certainly gets a kick out of his festivities," he said, then paused with his quill suspended over an essay. "What do you mean the air was 'thick'?"

"Oh, nothing really; it's a muggle expression. It's just Draco and Harry in there right now, and I couldn't sit around and hear them attempt to make conversation with one another," she said mildly.

"Ah, so has Mr. Potter fallen under my godson's love spell?" Snape resumed his grading, ignoring Hermione when she choked on her tea. "Yes, yes, I know all about Draco's, ah, affection preference. And I also know to whom his affection is aimed towards."

"How? I had to sneak the subject into a conversation to get him to tell me!"

"How very Slytherin of you," he said in an offhand voice. "I spent the last six years of your schooling watching Mr. Potter's almost every move, trying to protect him. Old habits, Hermione; I notice when people stare at him oddly or for longer than normal periods of time, even if I wish I didn't."

"Hey, that's what I said too!" Hermione laughed, and Snape's lips actually tipped up in the corners.

"As for his sexuality, that much is obvious if you know him close enough," Snape finished, still crossing out lines on the poor student's paper.

"Or if you live with him," she added.

"Precisely."

"Well, I don't know about Harry, but it definitely seemed tense when I left. Not an angry tense, though. Just nervous."

"So you escaped to the dreaded Potions Master's office. How nice."

They sat for a few minutes longer in a comfortable silence, her taking in her surroundings and getting lost in her tea, and he grading more essays.

Finally, Snape said, "What did you have in mind for the Masque?"

"Oh, I don't know," Hermione said, blushing faintly. "Draco's actually the one who suggested it."

"I'm not surprised; he has a knack for strategy," he murmured. "Well, go on; throw some ideas out."

"Hmmm…Beauty and the Beast?" Hermione smiled, remembering the conversation from earlier.

"Not a chance."

"How about I can go as a professor, and you can be the student."

"Hilarious. My sides may burst from the laughter I'm containing."

"Well, Draco mentioned that he wanted to see if he could convince you to be a bunny," Hermione trailed off.

"Not a chance in hell."

Hermione sighed, and blew her bangs out of her face as she thought.

"Ok, how about this," she hesitantly began. "We can go from Victorian times, or something of the sort. We can wear the formal ball dance clothes they wore. We'd match, but not obtrusively."

"That's actually a fair idea," he said.

"Good. Now I just have to find a place that sells old fashioned dresses," she laughed.

"I may know of a few places. I'll look into it for you."

"Thank you, Severus."

He hesitated above his paper again for a second before murmuring, "Your welcome, Hermione."

Hermione finally left 3 hours later. Both of them had lost track of time over the course of those hours, for after he finished grading, they both sat in front of his fire place drinking tea and just talking. They only noticed the time when she realized that dinner was going to start in a half hour.

XXX

"So, did you two decide what you're going to go as?" Hermione asked Harry when she sat next to him at dinner.

"No. We mainly talked about quidditch and stuff," he answered.

Just then, Dumbledore got to his feet and the Hall got quiet.

"Good evening, everyone. I know I usually save announcements for after meals, but I figured this would give everyone a nice dinner conversation," Dumbledore said serenely, eyes twinkling away. Behind him, Hermione saw Snape roll his eyes, and she stifled a giggle.

"As you all know, Halloween is approaching in two weeks time. I regret to inform you that our regular Halloween feast will be cancelled." At this, groans and exclamations went up over the hall, but Dumbledore merely raised his hand for silence. "Now, the reason it's being cancelled is that we professors,"-again, another eye roll from Snape-"have decided to throw a Halloween Masque Ball!"

Excited twitters and whispers went up all through the hall at this, and Dumbledore waited a few more seconds. "Everyone please see your House Prefects tonight or tomorrow, and they will tell you the restrictions. Let me just warn you, if ANYONE breaks one of the restrictions, the punishment will be severe," he said in an unusually serious tone. It was the voice that commanded people to heed his message. Fast as lightening, however, his voice was benign as ever. "Now, tuck in!"

Hermione cast _muffliato _and told Harry of her costume plans, and he made a face.

"Sorry," he apologized when she glared. "I just don't want to think about you and Snape dancing and matching. Next you'll be picking out curtains."

Hermione laughed. "Not quite. Now I just need to find the time and money to go get a dress. I could always transfigure one, but I don't like to trust transfigured clothes."

"Yeah, I think we did well enough with the rumors that you don't need to have your dress disappear on the dance floor to get anyone to believe you're together, thank you." He laughed as he dodged a grape.

XXX

That next week, there was a package lying on her bed when she went in to go to sleep. Wary of it, she cast a few unveiling spells on the box, and when nothing showed up she walked closer. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Snape's familiar scrawl written on the top. It said:

_Hermione,_

_I went and got this for you, seeing how I figured you wouldn't have any idea where to go, nor would you have the time to travel to such places. This also makes it easy for me, since I bought mine at the same time and I know we'll match._

_Think of it as a gift; no need to pay me back._

_-Severus_

Fingers trembling slightly, Hermione opened the box and gasped slightly at the beautiful gown lying folded inside.


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE, EVEN THOUGH I KEEP WISHING.**

"Hey, where've you two been?" Hermione asked slyly as the two boys walked into the Head commons area, both sweaty.

"Flying," Harry said automatically.

"Flying? I didn't know people sweat when they fly. Especially in October," she laughed.

"We were exercising too," Draco said defensively. "We started off flying for about an hour, and we just finished up working out."

Draco and Harry had been going to the Room of Requirement for the last week and a half after dinner and homework every other night. Apparently, they had the room change into a pretty well stocked muggle gym, complete with pool, Jacuzzi, and sauna.

"Ok, whatever," Hermione said, still smiling. "Draco, Daniel Bates is still sick, so he switched his rounds with Amy Trent. I already fixed him into the new schedule, but I thought I should let you know. Also, I think it's time to mix them up; have Prefects from different houses do rounds together."

"You really think they'll go for that?" Harry asked, looking skeptical.

"They'll have to; we make the rules. No, I think you're right. Voldemort's dead, the past is gone, and it's time to start them mingling," Draco said, catching his clothes and towel as he summoned them wordlessly.

"Yeah. I think it's been proven enough times that all stereotypes about the Houses aren't all true. I think we should have a good rotation so they're always mingled," Hermione said.

"I _really_ don't envy you two," Harry said, and then yawned widely. "Ok, I'm beat. See you tomorrow." He hugged Hermione and waved timidly at Draco, who smiled and waved back.

When Harry had left, Hermione started laughing.

"You two are ridiculous!"

"What? Why?" Draco asked, confused, hand still slightly raised.

"Look at you guys! Why don't you just shag and get it over with?"

Draco blushed and murmured something that sounded like, "It's not that easy."

Sighing, Hermione got up. "Ok, I'm going to sleep too. Remember, we have to pop into the Great Hall tomorrow between three and five to make sure everything is running smoothly. You shouldn't need more than an hour to get ready, will you? Ball starts at 6."

"No, I should be fine. I'm going to hit the shower, and then I'll probably crash too."

"Ok, then. Night Draco," she said, and walked to her room. As she nodded off, an odd feeling of excitement came over her, and she fell into a peaceful sleep once again anxious to see what Snape would wear, and a smile on her face.

XXX

"Ms. Granger, shouldn't you be getting ready for the ball soon?" Professor Dumbledore asked amusedly, as he watched her try to help decorate the Great Hall.

"MR. FRANKLIN! STOP ATTEMPTING TO STRANGLE MR. BEWS WITH THE ORANGE GARLAND, OR I'LL STRANGLE YOU BOTH!" she yelled, then looked at Dumbledore. "Yes, Professor, I should. However, I'm finding it difficult to want to leave these Prefects behind in case we come back to find the Hall missing. NO, MS. BARRON! WE HAVE ENOUGH CARVED PUMPKINS, AS I TOLD YOU NOT TEN MINUTES AGO! PLEASE STOP CARVING YOUR INITIALS IN THEM! I DON'T CARE WHO YOU LOVE THIS MONTH, NOR DOES THE REST OF THE SCHOOL!"

Dumbledore chuckled and decided to give her a break.

"Ms. Granger, I'm sure I'm qualified to handle them. I've already sent young Malfoy off to get ready, and I daresay you'll need at least the same amount of time."

"Thank you professor," she breathed in relief, and hurried out of the Hall before he could change his mind, smiling as she heard him say, "No, no, Mr. Henslin! Don't stack that there!" followed by a loud crash.

XXX

"Hermione! Are you ready to leave yet?" she heard Draco call from her door.

"No! Go on without me! I know the way!"

"Like hell I will! You shouldn't be roaming the castle grounds alone! You know that!"

"Oh god, Draco, I'll be fine! If it makes you feel better, you can put a tracking charm on me so you can monitor where I'll be!"

"Nothin' doin' Hermione. So just hurry up!" This came from Harry's voice.

"Hello, Harry! Didn't know you were here!" she said.

"Can we all stop yelling? We know magic for a reason! Or better yet, you can just come the hell out!" Draco said, annoyed.

"Look who's talking," she muttered, using the _whisperto_ spell to say it only to Draco.

"OH YOU'RE HILARIOUS!"

"What? What'd she say? I didn't hear anything," she heard Harry ask.

"Nothing, just being a brat like usual," he replied, and she smirked.

"Alright, I'm coming out now. And don't you dare laugh," she told them as she went to open the door. She held her breath to calm herself, then took a step out.

Both sets of eyes, grey and green alike, widened in surprise as they took in her appearance.

"Wow, Hermione, you look bloody fantastic!" Harry said.

"Yeah, Hermione! I mean, I knew you could clean up decently because you did it for the Yule Ball our fourth year, but even now you've outdone yourself!" Draco said, as his form of compliment.

She now stood almost 5'7" because of the black stilettos she was wearing, also a gift from Severus. Apparently, they were equipped with a cushioning charm as well as a safety charm. She'd already tried them out in her room, attempting to make herself fall; they worked. She couldn't so much as wobble.

Her dress was a soft, crushed velvet material a color so green, it was almost black. The trimming, however, was a brilliant gold. It had a corset style bodice, with a green satin fabric under the strings and designs in the back and front. The satin was only a shade or two lighter than the velvet itself. From the bodice, the dress simply fell down to the tops of her shoes. In the center, starting from the bodice, the skirt part split, revealing the satin once again. By far her favorite part of the dress was the sleeves. They were tight from shoulder to elbow, then just flared out and hung. She wasn't sure how Professor Dumbledore would feel about the amount of cleavage popping from the top of her dress, but felt it wasn't Snape's fault because he didn't know her measurements. She figured he bought them with her 4th year self in mind.

_How terribly uncomfortable for him_, she thought, and promised herself she'd thank him, yet again, for the dress.

Now that her hair was a little shorter and easier to manage, it didn't take as long to tame. She put half up in a short, mock, beehive fashion, with the rest falling in soft loose ringlets as she had seen in old-time pictures. The finishing touch was to add some Beazle's No-Smear, Never-Smudge make-up and she was ready. She added the half-face mardi-gras type mask.

"Thank you, boys! You both look quite handsome too!" she said, laughing, because you could only see half of both their faces.

Apparently, they had both decided to match, which she thought was cute. They both wore Phantom of the Opera masks, and robes so black you'd think they'd been sewn from shadows. They were extra billowy, which made Hermione laugh at the thought of them asking Snape to borrow some of his. They even had black capes attached. Both had even charmed their hair to grow almost to their shoulders, with Draco's being charmed to be as black as Harry's. Honestly, the only difference was the one or two inch in height, and their eyes. You could still make out a partial part of Harry's scar, but not enough to notice. He had even gotten a pair of muggle contacts just for the occasion.

"Yeah, we both got tired of bitching about how we hate who we are, and how people see us, and blah blah blah," Harry started.

"So we decided to hide ourselves. I still think I look devilishly handsome, though," Draco finished.

"Of course you do, honey," Hermione said gently. "Come on, let's get this over with. And I thought you said you couldn't pull off black hair, Draco?"

"Well, it seems I was mistaken. My fault; I should've known I could pull off anything," he drawled as they rolled their eyes.

They all traipsed out of the Head quarters and headed for the Hall. According to the time, the Ball had just begun less than a minute or two before. She pointed this out to both the guys.

"Good, we can be fashionably late. A Malfoy is never under anyone else's time," Draco said in his best aristocratic voice, making them both laugh reminding them of him as a kid.

"Plus, we could've been there early if you wouldn't have spent forever in your room," Harry said, while Draco nodded. "You do look beautiful though, Hermione. Where'd you get that dress? We didn't see anything like that in Hogsmeade when we went to get ours."

"Oh, Severus got it for me."

"SNAPE? GOT YOU THAT?"

"Wow, the man has taste," Draco said in a bored voice.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, _Snape_ got her the dress. And thank you, Draco; I did rather like it," came a deep voice from behind them.

They were now in the main hall, and they whirled around to see Snape coming up from the dungeons.

"Good god, why are you dressed like twins?" he drawled when he saw them.

His mardi-gras mask was dangling by the string from his hand, but it matched hers: black. His costume was of simple design, also; long, black, crushed velvet jacket with the coat tails, the tight form fitting half pants in the same dark green as her dress, and the traditional shoes. The shirt under his jacket seemed to be the same green as the lighter satin on her dress. All his trimmings and buttons were gold, and his hair was secured in a neat ponytail at the top of his neck. He looked like he just stepped out of the 16th century, and he looked _amazing_.

Hermione, who inwardly smacked herself to stop before she gaped at him, stepped forward to greet him. "You look quite handsome, Severus. Thank you again for the dress; it's lovely."

Until that moment, Snape hadn't even looked at her, having his attention still focused on the fact that his godson had dressed to match Potter. Now, however, she had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes pop slightly before he schooled his features again.

He cleared his throat. "You're welcome, _again_, Hermione. And you also look quite lovely. Now, I'm sure we have them all talking. Before we go in, I believe we should go over how this will go; I've just finished speaking with the Headmaster."

"What happened?" asked Draco, business voice back, and cast the _muffliato_ around them.

"Nothing, yet, which is why he's suspicious. We don't know if Lucius is still scared or if he's planning something else. Therefore, the Headmaster has seen fit to take, uh, drastic measures in stepping this up," Snape told them.

"Like…?" Harry asked.

Rolling his eyes, Snape turned to look only at Hermione. "We go in there with our masks on like we were going to. We're going to have to _dance_"-he made a face of distaste-"off and on _all night. _You may dance with your other friends, I don't care. However, the majority of your time needs to be spent with me. Around the end of the night, before the younger ones start trickling off, we take off our masks. I don't know if we 'forget' them or not, but the Headmaster wants the masks off for our last big dance. Then the secret is out," he finished somewhat lamely.

"Ok, I can do that," Hermione said. "How will I know what dance?"

"It will be the one where I walk towards you with no mask on," Snape said sarcastically, raising one eyebrow. "I thought that was clear. There's a good chance that most people won't even recognize us. It's amazing what covering half a face does."

Draco clapped his hands together twice, back in party mode. "Alright, let's go. I want to dance without people being afraid I'm going to Avada them!"

Snape rolled his eyes as Harry turned to follow Draco, and he offered his arm to Hermione.

"Very in character, Mr. Snape," she murmured, trying not to smile.

Placing his mask back on his face, he murmured back, "I'm nothing if not meticulous." He gave her a half smile and led her into the Hall.

XXX

_After the war, you actually let yourself believe you might be allowed some down time, didn't you? Oh, but of course not. Now here you are, at a Halloween Masque, leading a _student _of all people onto the dance floor._

As the boys walked in, Snape and Hermione heard the whispers start; it was clear no one knew who the mystery twins were. Then, he led them in, and it seemed like the whispers were louder than the music. Luckily, the song that had been playing before was coming to a close and a slower one was starting.

_Well, it's now or never_, he thought, and just continued to lead her onto the dance floor. He tried not to look at anyone else, and definitely _not_ see Albus standing there with his benign smile. Finally, after what seemed like hours, they reached the dance floor. He put one hand on her waist, and the next second, they were twirling.

Hermione looked surprised at first that he could dance, but after a few seconds she got over it and just started to enjoy it. Snape was trying to enjoy himself, but his treacherous eyes wanted to look down at the ample amount of cleavage she had protruding from the top of her gown.

_Ah, it's not her fault, is it? I got her the dress. How was I supposed to know her measurements? I had to remember what she looked like at the Yule Ball and add a bit. I didn't know I should've added a lot. Not that it looks _bad_…_

Snape shook his head, and thanked whatever god was listening that the mask made it look like he had been staring at her head. She _was_ an awful tiny thing. And quite a good dancer, now that he paid attention. However, her attention seemed to be elsewhere.

"Are you alright, Hermione? The whispers getting to you?" he asked sardonically.

She rolled her eyes and answered, "No. I was just looking around and thinking that someone here is working for a man that wants me dead. It's a bit sobering."

That brought him up short. He felt an unusual feeling of protectiveness surge through him at the thought of someone wanting to harm her. _It's because she's your student,_ he reminded himself.

"Don't fret, Ms. Granger. We're all working to protect you. He won't get through." When she didn't look pacified, and merely nodded, he realized that she'd been hearing the same words over and over from everyone. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry about your cat, Hermione."

He was horrified to see tears spring to her eyes, and then shocked when she smiled a moment later.

"You know, you're one of the first to say that and mean it. Thank you, Severus." She laid her head on his chest as they continued dancing, not bothering to pay attention to the twitters.

Not knowing how to deal with situations such as these, he gently patted her head, then moved his hand down and rubbed her back in small circles. "You're welcome, Hermione," he whispered.

XXX

Close to 2 hours later, Hermione was standing by the long table with the refreshments trying to catch her breath. She had danced with Severus at least 3 times, Harry once, and even Neville, not to mention the huge group dances with her friends. She asked the first year girl making the punch for another glass as she saw Draco approach.

"Thanks, Emily," she told the first year, and then looked at Draco. "So, no one figured out who you are yet?" she asked quietly.

"Nope, still a mystery. Pretty fun actually, even though I've heard some stuff about me I'd rather not," he said, and started drinking. "How'd you know it was me?"

"It was your facial expression, from what I could make out. And is that why you look like someone cancelled Christmas?"

"Funny. No, actually. I can deal with people talking about me behind my back; my family's been raised to deal with that. No, I'm upset because I haven't gotten a dance with the one person I actually wanted to dance with."

"Oh, Draco, I'm flattered. All you had to do was ask, you know," she said sweetly.

"Again, you're hilarious. I noticed _you_ got to dance with him though," Draco said, as he eyed the person in question.

"Of course I did; I'm his best friend. Plus, I'm mysterious, he's mysterious; it just works," she said, smirking as she watched Harry attempt to dance to a fast paced song with Ginny (a cat), Neville (Frankenstein), Seamus (a mummy), and Dean (also a mummy). "I'm just happy he's smiling."

"Well, of course I'm happy he's happy and whatever, but still. And uh…HELLO…_I'm _mysterious too! In fact, out of us four, I'm the one who looks less like me than you guys do. Although, I don't think I'll be keeping the black hair; I miss my blonde."

"Well, come on then. Let's go dance! If we're near him, then maybe you can snag him for the next one," she decided, putting her cup down and grabbing his arm.

"It can't hurt, I suppose," he said, draining his glass. He let her drag him out to the floor, and Harry looked up to see them approach. He gave the pair a huge beaming smile, perhaps lingering too long on Draco, if you asked Hermione, and then continued to dance.

The song went on for about another minute or so, and then slowly morphed into a slower one.

"Hey, stranger, you want to dance again?" Ginny said brightly, attempting to snag Harry right away.

"Huh?" Harry said, not paying attention, or looking at her at all. He was staring at Draco, who had just opened his mouth to talk.

"Sorry, ma'am, but he promised someone else this dance," Draco said, and Hermione could hear him trying to keep his normal drawl out of his voice. "Me, as a matter of fact, before you even ask." And with that, he grabbed Harry's arm and tugged him, wide eyes and all, into the middle of the dance floor.

Hermione was trying her best not to give into laughter, or happy tears, whichever threatened to come first. Harry and Draco were both openly chuckling now, and had one another in the traditional waltz hold. She watched them start to move across the floor for a few seconds before she realized someone else was walking towards her; someone who definitely did not have a mask on.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione took her mask off as well, and dropped it onto the table nearest her.

"Wow, Hermione! I didn't even think it was you! I never saw you as someone to dress like this!" Ginny said, astonished. Hermione had forgotten she was still standing by her; her eyes were glued to the professor walking towards them. Ginny must've seen Snape as well because she suddenly stopped talking.

"Hermione," Snape said, his deep voice almost caressing her name. "Would you care to dance?" He offered her his hand like a perfect gentleman, and a moment later, they were off.

They were twirling under the lights from the hundreds of candles, and as they moved, Hermione could make out the hundreds of eyes watching. She also saw Harry and Draco, dancing off in the distance. They had somehow gotten away from all the watchful eyes when she and Snape had gotten on the dance floor. Prats.

She looked up at Snape and smiled. "You know, I'm actually enjoying myself. You're quite a good dancer."

He snorted and said, "It's easy when you're dancing with someone who knows the steps. And it's not as bad as I thought it would be." A moment's hesitation, then, "Not to startle you, but I'm going to move my hand down to the small of your back. It's more intimate, and this song only plays for so long. Dumbledore wanted everyone in awe when we're done, so I need to step it up."

"Severus, you don't have to run everything by me. You know what you're doing better than I am; I trust you. Do what you must. Lucius _has_ to believe this beyond reasonable doubt. Or any other doubt." She laid her head on his chest again, as she had done earlier in the night. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Besides, it doesn't feel _bad_…"

Snape stiffened a little, but then slowly started to relax, knowing that people would notice if he danced stiffly. He cautiously rested his cheek on her head, and heard the gasps from many students.

Smiling slightly, he said, "You're right; this is pretty fun."

They both started laughing at that, and she moved her head to look up at him again.

"I want to thank you, again, for everything. And I know you're going to keep saying 'you're welcome' but I really mean it. Draco and Harry are doing their best to protect me, but I expected it from them. I _know_ you're brave, and that you would've helped protect me if Professor Dumbledore had asked, but this goes above and beyond everything I could have asked from you, Severus."

Snape stared at her for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. Finally, he said, "Thank you, for that, Hermione. I'm glad to be of service, and glad that I'm trusted to help. As long as Lucius is out there, I'll be right here protecting you. Always."

They heard the song swelling in noise and knew the ending would be soon; the end of the song, and the end of the night. Starting Monday, they'd be back to normal again. They stared at one another for a few more seconds, lost in thought.

"So, you trust me, huh?" Snape asked abruptly, an evil glint in his eye.

"One hundred percent. Why?" she asked warily.

"Let's give the spy something to tell Lucius," he told her. He shot one last glance towards where Dumbledore stood, beaming, before he closed the gap between their faces and secured her mouth in a kiss.


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: NOTHING BELONGS TO ME. **

"I can't believe _SNAPE_ kissed you!" Harry nearly shouted. It was the morning after, and she had been woken up by Harry knocking on her door, apparently let in by Draco. Now they were all sitting in the commons area, eating some fruit left by the house elves, since no one felt up to going to breakfast in the Great Hall.

Hermione just sighed and continued to eat her grapes. That was the third time Harry had said that so far, and she was just waiting it out.

"I mean," he continued, "there I was, dancing, and then suddenly all I heard is gasping. I look over, and there's my _Potion's Master_ snogging my _best friend!_ Come on now; you have to agree that anyone would be shocked."

Draco sat in his beanbag (today a simple color of that almost white-blue that a super sunny sky gets) looking bored; apparently, his godfather kissing his friend didn't interest him at all.

"Yeah, but you really should've prepared yourself," Draco said idly. "I mean, we knew they were going to go dramatic; Severus _did_ warn us."

"Well, sure, but…STILL! I mean…you know….it's…WEIRD," Harry finished lamely.-

"Didn't look like _Hermione_ thought it was weird; in fact, she seemed quite content," Draco said, smirking in her direction.

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, of course I looked content; I was supposed to. It wouldn't have sold if I would've looked all freaked out. I had to act like I loved it."

"I'll say; you acted the hell out of that one then," Draco shot back, his smirk becoming more profound by her blush. "Although, he _did_ look sharp. Who knew the old man could clean up?"

"He's not _that_ old, Draco," she said automatically, and blushed deeper when Draco started laughing.

"So…how was _your_ final dance?" she said, abruptly changing the subject, and enjoying watching Draco and Harry both tense up. "One minute you're out on the floor, looking spectacular I might add and the next you're off dancing away from everyone."

"Well, we wanted to give you and Snape your audience back. That's what you needed," Harry said, responding first.

"Whatever, Harry, I'm not buying it. So, did anyone figure out who the mystery men were?" she asked.

"No, but many tried asking. Luckily, they didn't see too much of Harry's scar, or hear my voice much," Draco said.

"Yeah, and no one even bothered to look at our eyes. I mean, mine are awfully bright green; not very common here. And yours are beautiful, and definitely not common," Harry said, and then paused halfway to grabbing an apple after realizing what he said.

A moment's hesitation, then, "You're right, of course. They should've looked at our eyes; we have the most gorgeous eyes of the school, hands down. But alas, not everyone here can have our brains," Draco said smoothly.

Everyone sat for a second, eating, and then heard the tell-tale buzz from the prefect door, notifying them that a prefect either needed them, or had left something for them.

"Draco, can you get that?" Hermione asked, carefully not looking towards that side of the room.

Draco kicked his feet once in a childish manner, and said, "No, you get it; I _always_ get it. I'm tired of them."

"Well, then, you picked a bad day to be Head Boy, didn't you?" Harry said sardonically, smirking at the blonde.

"Funny. I always answer the door; you answer it," Draco insisted, throwing a grape at her when she didn't answer and the door buzzed again.

"I'm not going near that door, Draco," she said in a low, dangerous voice.

Finally, it seemed to hit him, and the blonde's whole face changed as if someone had switched on a light bulb above his head. "Blimey, Hermione, I'm sorry; I completely forgot. You're right, I'll get it, don't worry."

He got up and walked over to the door and opened it partially. They saw him lean his head in slightly, and heard him talking to someone, and then he pulled his head back and shut the door.

Walking back over to the group, he said, "Jack Henslin from Hufflepuff is apparently sick, so that was Cara Porter telling us that she was going to switch him rounds tonight, and he's going to cover hers on Monday. That means she'll be with Henry Bews from Slytherin, and he'll be with Marissa Barron from Ravenclaw."

"OK, no problem; I like when they work things out on their own," Hermione said.

"Me too; it means less shit we have to deal with," Draco said, stretching in his chair again as if he'd just worked a 12 hour day. "So, are you staying out of public eye today?"

"A bit, yeah. I think I'll pop in to see Severus later on though, to keep people talking. But I don't think I'll venture out to the whole school's eye until dinner," Hermione said, already rolling her eyes and the thought of so many watchful people.

"Yeah, good thing no one knew who we were, or they'd be wondering how I conned Harry into dancing with me," Draco laughed.

"Come off it, you didn't con me. If I didn't want to go, I would've resisted," Harry laughed back, and threw his grape stem at him.

"Yes, but resisting just doesn't work with me; if anything, it just entices me," Draco said slyly, waggling his eyebrows like an old time villain.

"Oh really? Well, I'm sure I would've been able to hold my own if I didn't want to go," he said back, smirking.

"I highly doubt that; I can be _exceedingly _persuasive when I want to be."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you're quite the charmer," Hermione said, her eyes going back and forth between the two like watching a tennis match. Neither boy answered or acknowledged her; they had apparently forgotten she was there.

"Well, that's just a moot point since I went willingly, isn't it?" Harry teased.

"You only went because you wanted to be saved from Ginny again," Draco said.

"That's halfway true, yes," Harry said softly, a pink tint growing on the tops of his cheeks.

"What's the other half then? I know it wasn't the attention you wanted," Draco said playfully, the same tint coloring his cheeks.

Harry suddenly had a great interest in his juice and was unable to answer. Draco shot him a devious look, and flicked his wrist up using wandless magic to spray Harry's face with the contents of his cup.

Sputtering and coughing, Harry turned to face the now hysterical Draco. Quick as lightening, Harry had Hermione's glass in his hand and was now using his own wandless abilities to direct the pumpkin juice like a hose at Draco's head.

There was a slight pause, and then Draco said, "Oh, you're _so_ going to pay for that." Suddenly, it was a full out food and magic fight, and Hermione found herself walking towards her room.

"I'm going to take a shower!" she yelled over the noise of the boys laughing and yelling, but no one paid attention. Rolling her eyes, she went into her room and sound proofed the door.

XXXXXX

**(Author's note: this is the only part that's going to be from Draco's perspective. After this, the story will go back to being Hermione/Snape's view.)**

Dodging flying orange slices, Draco hid behind Hermione's chair, and lobbed a few pieces of grapefruit quarters over his head. He heard the sound of one hitting Harry, followed by a few choice words. Peeking around his chair minutely, Draco saw Harry's leg sticking out from the end of the couch, and then a part of an arm. It appeared that Harry was attempting to clean his glasses quickly on his shirt because of the grapefruit juice, so Draco seized his chance.

He quickly crept to the back of the couch, making no noise. It was a spell that all young Slytherins had learned back in the day, and it muffled their footsteps and movements. He was almost to the end, and could see a part of Harry when he paused. He saw Harry stiffen and start to turn to look around the couch the opposite way and he suddenly remembered what Harry had told Hermione when he had thought they were snogging in the alcove at the beginning of the school year: he could feel magic around him. That meant he could feel Draco's _creptia_ spell that muffled his movements. Knowing he had mere seconds, Draco acted.

Fast as a cobra, Draco was standing above Harry, but still behind him, and had his wand out over his head. Suddenly, Harry was being drenched in water from Draco's _aquamenti_ spell, and he kept it trained on Harry's face even when Harry jumped up in surprise.

Acting on impulses conditioned from being reared as a muggle, Harry forwent the use of his wand, and simply tackled Draco. Down they both went with a crash, and suddenly they were both wrestling for control. Unfortunately, Draco's spell concentration was phenomenal, and even though he was being attacked, his spell continued; in mere seconds they were both drenched.

It took Draco a few moments to realize that he should stop spraying them with water before they both drown. The water cut off, and both boys stopped, breathing hard. Harry had Draco pinned to the ground, hands on the floor above Draco's elbows, and their faces were inches from one another; their legs were still entwined, with one of Harry's being between Draco's.

_Oh shit oh shit oh shit,_ Draco thought. Nothing else seemed to be able to register. _Oh fuck. Ok, good, I can think of a different word. Ok. Fuck. No; definitely the WRONG word to think of. Ok, back to shit. Shit!_

Draco wasn't sure what to do. Well, that was entirely true; he knew what he _wanted_ to do, but not what he _should _do. He figured that they'd be able to laugh this off as another random uncomfortable moment, and chalk it up with the other million they'd had. That was before Harry shifted slightly, and Draco knew by the slight widening of his eyes that Harry had felt the evidence of his arousal. There was no way he couldn't, since it was now poking Harry's thigh in all its glory.

_Shit, he's going to freak. Or hit me. Or freak, and then hit me,_ he thought. He was suddenly hyper aware of everything; his face growing hotter, the water from Harry's clothes dripping onto his, something poking his thigh, Harry slightly trembling-

_WHOA! What's touching _my_ thigh?_ Draco thought, and it was his turn for his eyes to widen as Harry's face came a fraction of an inch closer. Draco realized he was still holding his wand, and he opened his hand and let it roll off. The noise of it hitting the ground and rolling was louder than it should've been, but then again, everything seemed more pronounced right now. Harry's eyes shifted and watched the wand roll away, and then went back to Draco's face.

_Ok, Draco; stop being a coward,_ he thought to himself, biting his lip. Slowly, he lifted his head up a bit, keeping his eyes locked with Harry's the whole time, except for when Harry had watched him bite his lip, and had licked his own slightly. They were now no more than 2 and a half inches apart, and stared for a second longer.

Although both would have you believe that the other started it, the truth is they both came together at the same time.

It seemed that lust and awkward moments had finally taken its toll on the pair, and both mouths closed the gap at the same time, crushing the other's lips with wild force. Both boy's hands were everywhere, either grabbing the other's hair or their back, both trying to get as close as possible.

When Draco scraped his hand up Harry's back to grab his shoulder, Harry gave a low moan deep in his throat. The noise shot straight through Draco and seemed to shoot straight towards where the rest of his blood was heading. They were swiftly rolling around now, both attempting to stand up and both attempting to get to the other's clothes.

They finally managed to stand, and they hesitated for the first time. They were so close in height; they could almost look the other in the eye. Both men stared at the other for a brief second. Harry's lips were already slightly puffy from the force of the kisses, and Draco could only imagine how his face looked. Harry still had one hand cupped on the back of Draco's neck, and the other fisted on his chest, entwined with his shirt, while Draco had both hands on the sides of Harry's face; both were breathing heavily.

In that moment's hesitation, neither male saw a 'no' in the other's eyes, and soon it started all over.

Their mouths crashed together once more, and Draco threw his hand out behind Harry, and his bedroom door flew open by itself. They moved with a frantic abandon, attempting to both get into Draco's room and get the other undressed in record time. As a result, they crashed into almost anything solid; the door frame, the door, Draco's dresser, his nightstand, and his closet door just to name a few. Instead of slowing them down, it just enticed them even more, and they both fought for the upper hand.

With an almighty crash, Draco's door slammed shut from another silent spell. Both men started clawing at the other's clothes; the sound of fabric tearing was one of the loudest noises in the room.

Harry grabbed the front of Draco's shirt and ripped it open with one tug, sending buttons flying all over, at the same time that Draco hooked his finger in one of the already made holes in Harry's old worn shirt. Most of the bottom half of Harry's shirt was now hanging off to the side, displaying the stomach that almost a year's worth of yard labor gave him.

Before Draco had time to admire it, however, Harry had grabbed the rest of Draco's shirt and pushed it down his arms, while simultaneously lowering his head to fasten his mouth to one of Draco's nipples. When Harry grazed his teeth on it, Draco threw his head back with a hiss, and grabbed Harry's hair to push him closer. Harry alternated between to the two nipples, and went from sucking to nipping to licking so fast that it wasn't long before Draco was panting and moaning.

As he worked, Harry's hands were busy unfastening Draco's pants, and soon hand them sliding down his legs. When Draco became aware of it, he pulled Harry's head back up by the fist he had in his hair, and gave him a bruising kiss as he kicked out of his pants. Too fast for Harry to know what happened, Draco's mouth slid down to his neck and throat and started biting at him. It was Harry's turn to start making noises and grabbing at Draco's head, while Draco worked at ripping the rest of Harry's shirt off, and starting on his pants.

Soon, they were both left in their boxers as they finally lost their footing and fell onto Draco's king sized bed. Then came the rapid fight for dominance again as both men rolled around, still wet from the water, plus the sweat that had been building up.

It was Draco who finally reached down to tug at Harry's boxers while Harry hovered over him again, much like how the situation had started, and both sets of eyes met for a second. In that moment, both realized that things were changing, and they would never go back to normal. Even if they stopped now, they had altered their lives; so why not proceed forward? That's precisely what they did.

Harry reached down and started to pull at Draco's, and the brief moment of insight was over; it was back to raw sexual aggression. Draco flipped out from under Harry and had him pinned on his back in the next second. Draco gave him another lingering kiss, and then started to slowly work his way down. He started at Harry's neck again, and started to softly nip at the places he had already bit; there were already signs of love bites appearing. Harry's back arched up each time Draco nipped at the tender flesh and tried to wind his hands in Draco's hair. Draco grasped his wrists in an ironclad hold, and held them at his side.

He finally started kissing his way down over Harry's collarbone, and paused when he got to Harry's chest. Both men had admirable upper torsos, and Draco leant down to lightly flick both of Harry's hard nipples with the tip of his tongue. Smiling at the hiss he heard from above him, Draco lowered his head to take one in his mouth, and started nipping and sucking at it. When he lifted his head, he softly blew on it and heard a loud moan.

He started kissing down Harry's stomach and finally got to his boxers. Since his hands still had a hold of Harry's wrists, he used his teeth to grasp the top band of the shorts and started to pull. Draco finally released Harry's wrists when he had gotten the shorts as far as he could go without the use of hands. He grasped the shorts on either side and slowly started to drag them off of Harry, while Harry lifted his body in an attempt to help and speed things along.

Draco intended to torture Harry for a bit longer, but that was before he saw Harry's dick. It was easily 8 inches in length, and only slightly thinner than his own, but maybe by only a few centimeters.

Without even looking up, Draco lowered his mouth onto it. He took almost the whole thing into his mouth on the first try. Harry's hands immediately clamped onto the sides of Draco's head and fisted in his hair. The sounds coming from his mouth only fueled Draco, and he started using his hands to stroke Harry every time his mouth went up.

Harry suddenly pushed Draco's mouth off of him and flipped Draco into the spot he was just at. There was no slow methodical torture this time; Harry went straight to pulling off Draco's black boxers and tossed them behind his head. He barely had time to register that Draco was approximately the same size as him, before he started to pleasure Draco. For awhile, all that was heard was Draco's moans and expletives.

Finally, Draco pushed Harry back. For the first time, there was hesitation; neither knew quite what was going to happen next. Both had a mad want for being dominant, and both knew that one would have to crack.

Harry suddenly summoned his wand and tossed it to Draco. Draco gazed at it for a millisecond before remembering his own was still in the commons area, and then realizing what Harry wanted.

Hesitating, grey eyes met green, and Harry finally asked the question.

"Have you done this before?"

Draco shook his head no. "I uh..just knew that I _wanted_ to; but I had yet to have the opportunity. Well, I mean, I've tried by myself, but I hear it's not the same. I've had sex with a few girls, also, but I knew it wasn't what I wanted. You?"

Harry shook his head no as well, and sighed. "I had sex with Cho once, but it was just odd. Apparently, she liked it, but I never tried again. And…yeah…I've tried by myself, but I could never…fully…do it."

They were both sitting up on their knees, and Harry leaned in to give Draco a slow kiss. It was a building kiss of passion, the kind that was started for a reason.

Draco brought the hand not holding Harry's wand up to Harry's cheek to cup it, and started to lean into his body. Soon, as the kiss grew, he felt Harry's body relax more and start to lower. When Harry was lying flat on his back, Draco broke the kiss and stared at him for a half second, waiting for the final confirmation. Harry's head slightly nodded, and then he rolled himself over.

Draco used Harry's wand to mutter a lubricating charm, and set the wand on the floor after applying liberal amounts to both himself and Harry's ass. He started to rub his index finger against Harry's hole and as he heard Harry start to make a few small noises, he slowly started to insert his finger. When he got his index finger almost fully in, he started to rub against the edges with his middle finger, and slowly start to insert that one as well. He repeated the cycle with his ring finger, and then slowly started to move them. Harry was fully moaning now, and had even started pushing back against Draco's hand.

Slowly so as not to hurt him, Draco withdrew his fingers, and positioned the head of his dick at his entrance. Making sure he was still well lubed, he started to press against Harry, and entered him.

"AHH! Oh…FUCK!" Harry yelled, and started panting, but attempted to relax. When he felt the whole of Draco's head enter, he felt a moment's relief as Draco stilled.

It was short lived, however, because Draco was only checking to make sure the lube was still on, and then started to push more into him. Reaching around, he started to play with Harry's dick as he continued to slide. The feeling of pleasure from that made Harry slightly forget the pain, and he found it easier to relax.

Draco was now fully sheathed inside Harry, and he started to pull out. He got halfway before going back in, not wanting to pull out completely just yet. Draco had stopped playing with Harry's dick by now, and after a few repetitions Harry started making new noises; louder ones. He started pushing back onto Draco, and Draco started to pull farther out. His hands moved to Harry's hips and he had to grind his teeth to force himself to concentrate on _not_ pummeling into Harry like a jackhammer.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god. FUCK! YES!" Harry yelled. Those seemed to be the only words Harry was capable of saying, and Draco didn't mind. The room was loud with the sounds from both men.

Finally, Harry seemed able to articulate more.

"Oh god, harder! Come on! YES!" he shouted, and Draco was more than happy to oblige. He started pulling all the way out and driving back into him, still not as hard as he would like, but he knew that he wasn't ready for _that_ yet.

"Fuck! I don't want to cum yet! I want to fuck you!" Harry ground out, and Draco started to slow. He had _no _complaints about switching; he had felt himself getting close as well and there was no way he wanted this to end yet.

Pulling out completely, he tossed the wand to where Harry lay panting, and sat back on his legs attempting to catch his breath. When he saw Harry finally sit up and start lubing himself up, he rolled over onto his knees as Harry had done.

Harry started with the same routine as Draco had done, as Draco figured he would, but he still jumped slightly when he felt Harry's finger attempt to enter him. He had told Harry the truth earlier; he _had_ attempted this by himself, but like Harry, it had never gone as well as he had hoped.

He started trying to relax his body as he felt Harry's ring finger join his other two, and he realized what had started Harry moaning. He found himself slightly pressing against Harry's fingers as Harry had done to him. He did hiss slightly and tense a bit when Harry started moving his fingers in and out, though. Suddenly, he felt Harry's teeth nip at one of his ass cheeks, and it surprised him so much that he pressed back fully onto Harry's hand. The sensation from the biting and going fully onto the fully submerged fingers made Draco yell out in a pleasure he had never felt.

He felt himself almost impatient with anticipation when Harry finally pressed the tip of his dick against him.

Finally, Harry was fully enclosed inside Draco, and they started moving with renewed force. They found a perfect rhythm with one another, and knew exactly when to push forward or push back.

Soon, everything started building; the pressure from within, the pleasure, and the noise. Both men were openly yelling, moaning, or cussing now, and the sounds were almost loud enough to drown out the slap of bodies hitting one another. They were hyper-aware of every facet going on; the feelings were increased tenfold, and even the feeling of the sweat dropping from Harry to mix in with Draco's was felt, and just fueled them farther.

Suddenly, Draco felt a tightening in his balls unlike any he had felt before with an orgasm. He started to yell to Harry that he was close to cumming when Harry started to speed up.

There was a second when Harry tensed up, and then he was yelling and pumping in erratically. The feeling of Harry exploding inside him was enough to drive Draco over the edge and he was yelling; and he experienced an orgasm so intense it made him feel like passing out.

Finally, both men collapsed on the bed. Harry lay straight on his back and closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath while Draco lay on his side, slightly raised. After a few moments, Harry felt Draco's eyes on him and halfway opened his eyes to look back.

Draco met his eyes, and just shook his head slightly.

"Sorry. I just didn't get a chance to actually _look_ at you earlier; I wanted to before I passed out," he explained.

Yawning, Harry said half jokingly, "You like what you see, I take it?"

In response, Draco leaned in to give Harry a slow kiss. This one was unlike the others; this was sensual. Draco tried to put as much of his feelings for Harry that he'd had into this kiss, hoping that Harry would telepathically understand.

When he pulled back, Harry's eyes were slightly glazed, and he smiled up at him. And as he pulled Draco down to lay next to him, the last conscious thought Draco had was that maybe, just maybe, Harry had understood him after all.

XXX

Neither one of the boys remembered to put a silencing charm on Draco's bedroom door, which Hermione found out when she came out of her shower.

"Alright, I'm going to go and see Severus, see you guys later!" she yelled to the empty room as she walked out of hers, expecting to see them there. What she found was an empty commons area, and a lot of noise coming from Draco's side of the dorm.

Hearing a noise that almost sounded painful, Hermione was halfway across the room to go help him when it was accompanied by some more noises that didn't sound very painful at all. In fact, it almost sounded like they were-

_OH. MY. GOD._ Hermione thought, whirling back around to dash to the front door behind the statue. _Well, it's about bloody time!_


	13. Chapter 13

"Hermione, what a surprise," Snape drawled from behind his door when he opened it. "I guess it was too much to ask to have a Saturday to myself." As he said it, however, he opened his door wider giving her enough room to enter, so she didn't take it to heart.

"Well, I thought about it, but I figured it was good to have people see me come down here, and I really couldn't be in that room anymore," she said cheerfully.

"Ah, are Draco and Potter still making the air 'thick', as you say? I would've thought last night would've helped ease the tension; make things glide smoother," he surmised, walking towards the far end of his office towards an open door.

His choice of words painting an unpleasant scenario in her head to add to the noises she heard, Hermione decided to make a noncommittal noise and continue to follow him. Walking through the door she gasped.

There were books _everywhere_. He had shelves that started at knee length and rose to the top of the ceiling, and circled his whole front room. In the back of her mind, she figured they must be in his private quarters, but that was unimportant to her right now. Immediately, she gravitated towards the nearest shelf and had her had halfway extended when she remembered her place. She pulled her hand back instantly, and heard a soft chuckle from behind her. She spun to see Snape leaning against another shelf watching her.

"I guess I should get used to you attempting to touch my possessions," he drawled, arching an eyebrow at her, and giving a deep chuckle again when she blushed. "Come, you'll have plenty of time to admire them later."

He walked over to where a huge fireplace sat, burning away, and sank into one of his chairs. She followed, and when she sat down she never wanted to get back up. The chair was _heaven_. It was squishy, and plush, but with enough body that you wouldn't sink into it forever.

"Severus, thank you again for the dress. I know I keep thanking you, but it was so beautiful. I had a really great time last night. Oh god, and those shoes! _Those_ were incredible. When I first pulled them out of the box, all I could think of was dancing with you and then falling flat on my face, or bottom, or breaking my ankle," she laughed, and was delighted when he joined in with his soft chortle.

"Yes, I confess that I had a very similar picture painted in my head as well. For awhile I contemplated letting you go in flat shoes, but you're just so _short_. Finally, I asked the lady at the counter if there was a charm I could place on them and she gave me list of commonly used ones," he explained. "And once again, you're welcome. I admit I didn't dread the night as much as I thought I would."

"I think we stole the show for the night. For awhile it was Draco and Harry, and everyone was trying to figure out who they were. But after our final dance, I'm sure we took first place," she said, and noticed him looking tense.

"Yes, well, I suppose I should apologize for that. It was a little rash, and very impulsive," he said tersely.

"Don't! Really, it was fine, Severus! I told you that you didn't have to run everything by me. I think you're still having a problem seeing me as only a student," she said.

"That's probably because you _are_ my student. Although, I'm not sure for how much longer," he trailed off.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Hermione. Now that it's not a rumor anymore and people are convinced of it, how long before the complaints set in? Every time you answer a question correctly in class, or complete a flawless potion, or get back a faultless homework assignment, people will complain. They'll complain about special treatment and the like," he shot at her.

"But that…that's ridiculous! I've always had good grades, and you've been extremely fair this year with treating everyone equally! Even when you had to favor the Slytherins, you still gave them their correct grades! It was just how treated them that was different. How could anyone in their right mind-"

"Well, now, there you go; they won't _be_ in their right mind. People say and think crazy things when upset. Imaginations run wild, especially in this school. Think about all the rumors that you heard about yourself when this began. I know Draco and Potter didn't come up with all of that; the student body made it up. No, just give it some time; you'll see," he told her, leaning his head back against his chair. "Tea?"

She absentmindedly took the proffered cup of liquid, and sat back to drink it while she thought. Honestly, the idea of what students would think of her class life never crossed her mind; she'd been somewhat occupied by the whole a-madman-is-after-me-who-killed-my-cat-and-will-stop-at-nothing-to-get-his-hands-on-me thing.

Lucius, who had still yet to write since after poor Crooks but they were expecting it soon, was still out there. And while he was still out there, waiting and watching, she was in danger. And if she was in danger, it meant the people she loved and cared for were in danger if he went to drastic measures to get to her. And if she had to suffer through some rumors or be put in private lessons to protect the ones she loved from her bad fortune, then wasn't it worth it? Compared to what her friends and professors were sacrificing to save her?

"Right; I'm fine with that then," she said abruptly, finishing her train of thought out loud. Snape had been enjoying his tea in silence, waiting for her to finish thinking, and merely raised an eyebrow at her announcement.

"Care to elaborate?"

"It upset me when you told me about my classes because I hadn't thought of it before I agreed. My schoolwork is extremely important to me, as everyone knows. However, now there's no way to back down; the plan's been set in motion," she said, and shrugged.

Snape sat for a few seconds thinking and finally asked, "If someone would've pointed this out at the beginning, do you still think you would've agreed?"

"No one would've pointed it out; only you. They coddle me, and you're not afraid not to," she pointed out.

"Answer the question."

"I'm not sure. I think it would've taken me longer to agree, that's for sure. I think that you being blunt about it now is the best thing; it's made me realize I have much bigger problems than getting the best grade in Potions," she said, shrugging again.

"Which is?"

"Lucius. As long as he's out there waiting for me, everyone I know, love, and care about are in danger. It's one thing to put myself in danger; it's a whole other thing to put others," she told him.

"Ah, courage. How very-"he began, but was interrupted when a sugar cube hit his forehead.

"If that sentence ends with 'Gryffindor of you', I swear there's more cubes where that came from," she said, waving another one in the air. For a moment, she was scared that she had finally crossed the line, and then he laughed. It was a hearty, deep laugh; husky, like his voice. And although it sounded out of place, as if he hadn't laughed in awhile and was out of practice, it made her smile and laugh as well, and she vowed to make him laugh whenever she could; the sound was delicious.

The conversation went back to the previous night, so as to get their minds off of Lucius for even the smallest span.

"I swear, Severus, the student's eyes were big as galleons when you took your mask off," she laughed.

"Yes, I believe I may have given the youngest Weasley a heart attack," he said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if on Monday I hear how jealous everyone is of me," she said, and laughed as he choked on his tea.

"How can they be jealous? You danced with the dreaded Bat from the cave; the Greasy Git; The bane of their years here," he said, still coughing.

"You obviously didn't see yourself very well last night when you got dressed. You looked absolutely amazing. When you came down the stairs I thought _I_ was going to have a heart attack," she laughed. "Even though the front part of my brain processed that this was part of the plan, the back part was extremely smug that I was finally going to a ball with the best looking guy in the Hall."

"I'm not familiar with this form of taunting, but it's very mean," he said and smirked.

"Oh hush."

"But I believe," he continued, "that you may be mistaken. I think their eyes got wide when they saw it was _you_ under your mask."

"Yes, that too," she sighed. "Ginny was very blunt about not believing I could look like that. I think everyone was surprised someone asked me to dance. You're right."

"Oh shut up, silly girl. That's not what I meant. You looked damn near impeccable last night. You didn't look as if you even belonged at a school. You looked beautiful," he finished somewhat lamely.

"Thank you," she said softly.

They both took drinks from their cups for a few minutes. Finally, Hermione could stand it no more.

"Severus, can I go look at your books?"

Chuckling, Snape told her yes and watched her gravitate towards one of his shelves.

Trying to get the image of Snape last night out of her head, Hermione attempted to submerge herself in reading. As she ghosted over the titles, however, mental pictures kept creeping up.

Suddenly, he wasn't wearing the suit from last night; his chest was bare. And they weren't dancing anymore; no, they were in his chambers like now. And the sounds that were coming from Draco's room were now coming from Snape's-

Hermione had to force her mind to stop _right there_, because any other thought was absurd. He said it himself; he's the Greasy Git from the Bat Cave. She was just still strung up from last night, and got caught in the moment. He even said he still thought of her like a student.

_Did he?_ Her inner voice argued with her. _I'm pretty sure he said you still _are_ his student, which is technically true. But he didn't mention thinking like that anymore._

_Oh, shut up,_ she told herself. Seeing a promising title on a very old Potions book, Hermione reached to get it. Unfortunately, it was two shelves taller than her head, and just out of her reach.

Suddenly, there was a warm, hard body behind hers and another arm shot out and plucked the book easily off the shelf for her. She whirled around and saw Snape freeze. It seemed that he hadn't realized how close he had gotten to her before, but he definitely was aware now. There were barely inches between them; close enough that when she had turned around she had rubbed against his chest in the process.

Neither person moved; both just stared at the other. Finally, Snape slowly held out the book to her, and she went to grab it. When their fingers brushed the other, an electric shock got them both, making them automatically pull their hands back. The book fell to the ground between them, but they paid no mind to it. Their eyes were back on the other. Slowly, Snape's head bent a little; cautiously. Hermione rose to her tiptoes in the same pace; both seemed to be unaware of what they were doing. Hermione, having already gone as tall as she could, reached up to place one hand on his shoulder to help give her more leverage.

Her touch seemed to do it; their mouths came together with a force that left them both breathless. Her hands were in his hair, pulling his face closer. His arms were like steel rods behind her back, attempting to pull _her_ closer. He lifted her off the ground and trapped her between his body and the bookshelf as her legs came around him.

It was when Snape's hands traveled up her waist that she let out a soft moan, which was swallowed up between their mouths, that Snape realized what was happening. His whole body stiffened as he abruptly ended the kiss, and moved back from her, catching her by the arms when she almost dropped to the floor.

Both breathing hard, Snape looked anywhere but at the woman in front of him.

Finally he cleared his throat. "Forgive me, Hermione. I seem to have forgotten my place. That was extremely inappropriate. My mind must still be confused with last night," he said formally.

Hermione just looked at him, confused. She had thought it was fine; better than fine, in fact!

"Severus, I wanted that! It wasn't inappropriate!" she exclaimed.

Snape just shook his head. "We were both out of line; it won't happen again. You're confused on what you think you want. I'm sorry for giving you false hope."

Confusion turning to anger, Hermione started walking towards the door. She walked just past the doorway when she whirled around.

"I'm 18 years old, Severus. Don't tell me what confuses me. I know enough to know what I want," she said in a low, dangerous voice, attempting to keep her cool.

"No, you aren't. You're a naïve little girl starved for affection. Now leave; I have grading to finish." Snape turned his back on her and flicked his hand over his shoulder, slamming the door shut in her face.

XXX

Fuming, Hermione stalked outside to the castle grounds forgetting that the weather was growing colder by the day. It was now November 1st, and already she could see the clouds darkening overhead like they wanted to snow but couldn't bring themselves to do it quite yet.

Placing a warming charm on her cloak and pulling it closer, Hermione stalked off, eager to let off some steam. She was reluctant to return to the Head room knowing that by now Harry and Draco must be done (hopefully) and probably sleeping. She was in no mood to deal with that issue just yet.

She didn't realize where she was heading until she was less than 100 feet from Hagrid's cabin. She couldn't be too surprised, however; didn't they always go to Hagrid's when something was bothering one of them? Wasn't Hagrid the one to make her feel better in her second year when Draco had first called her a Mudblood? Hadn't Hagrid been the one to help comfort her in third year when Ron hated her and she had no friends? After all, she was the "third wheel", as Harry had eloquently put it. And again in 4th year after the horrible episode with the foul Skeeter woman, wasn't it Hagrid who had understood better than anyone and gave her solace when she was upset by the howlers? She never really thanked him for everything he did for her and her friends, and now because of that damned war, she'd never be able to thank him or Ron, or ask them to forgive her for not being able to save them.

Standing there in the cold, she just stared at the hut waiting for the onslaught of tears and memories and regret she knew was coming. As predicted, the corners of her eyes started to prickle, but before she could blink them back, the door swung opened.

Charlie Weasley strode out of the hut with an axe over his shoulder and stopped dead when he saw her. In the months that school had started, she had yet to come see him. She was never very close to Charlie since she barely knew him, and since she didn't take his class, she was never faced with the awkward moment of talking to him. She wouldn't know what to say either. Unfortunately, he walked outside at the worst time. He had let his hair start to grow, so it was shaggy now, and that was the first thing that she saw when he flung open the door.

The memory of Ron hit her like a ton of bricks, and the moisture in her eyes went from being a prickle in the corner to gushing out without warning, leaving her breathless. She felt like someone had punched her in the gut and she almost doubled over from the pain.

Dropping his axe, Charlie rushed to Hermione's side.

"Hermione! Are you ok?" he yelled, shaking her slightly.

She stared up at the face so like Ron's, yet so unlike his. His eyes were the same blue like Ron's but Charlie had so many freckles he almost looked tan, and he was built like the twins; shorter and muscular. Identifying these differences made it easier for her to slow down her tears and attempt to form a coherent sentence.

"I-I-I was w-walking and-and…I don't know! I was here! And thought about H-Hagrid and R-Ron and then I w-was being caught up in m-memories! And then y-you walk out, and I wasn't expecting it! And-and-and…your hair! It was your hair! I just…I just…" Hermione sobbed, and broke off, unable to finish her convoluted outburst. Thankfully, Charlie seemed to have grasped the basis of it, and wrapped her in a hug.

"Oh Hermione; it's alright. I miss them too! Shhh. Listen, I understand; more than you could know. Come in and warm up for a bit. That's it. Come on," Charlie coaxed, slowly shuffling them towards his door.

Almost afraid to look and cause another dam to burst, Hermione hesitantly stepped into the hut. Part of her was relieved; Charlie had redone the entire place, magically enlarging it to fit a living room, kitchen, and separate bedroom, complete with a door. The other half of Hermione was sad; it wasn't Hagrid's hut anymore and this made it real.

Charlie sat her on the couch, went to get her a cup of the tea he had just made, and came back to sit next to her.

"I'm, uh, sorry for frightening you. Or startling you, or whatever I did. I had just finished chopping some wood, and had brought my axe inside with me in case I needed to cut them a bit more. I find I like doing it by hand rather than a severing charm; releases tension better. I was just bringing it back outside. You surprised me, actually," he said, chuckling slightly.

Hermione gave a faint smile after she took a sip of her drink. The hot liquid seemed to calm her down, and she turned to face Charlie.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I think it was because I was so caught up in memories that I had forgotten you lived here. Next thing I know, all I see is a head of shaggy bright red hair; it just surprised me. I think I'll be ok now."

"Good. We can't have you bursting into tears at every meal when I walk in the doors; I'd have to dye my hair, and I've become rather fond of the red," he joked, attempting to make her smile bigger.

It worked to an extent; she gave a watery chuckle and smiled a bit wider.

"Thanks, Charlie. And I'm sorry I surprised you. I guess my feet just led me here because I was upset, and it's where I used to go," she told him.

"Hey, it's no big deal. I've wanted to talk to you for some time, but I didn't know what to say. We never exactly talked much in the past, but I knew you were close to Ron and I wanted to make sure you were ok. Mum's got me on watch duty for you, Harry, and Ginny as well," he told her, rolling his eyes.

"How is your mom doing? I feel wretched that I haven't gotten to go see her. I didn't exactly go see anyone, really," she said, feeling ashamed.

"She's doing better. My mom's always been a strong woman, and she'll get through this. It's better now that Bill moved back in as well. She's still thin and cries often, but not as much as before. Fred and George come round almost every weekend to see her and Bill, and sometimes more as well, so that's helping," he explained. "Also, I told her how much better Ginny is doing. Harry came to see me awhile ago and told me that he and Gin had finally sat down to talk. I see him with her more, and they both look better."

"Yeah, Harry and I had a row right before that about Ron and Draco. It was horrible, but it finally made Harry talk about it, which is what he needed. He really _does_ look better, and so does Ginny," she agreed.

"Yeah, I noticed Draco had joined your group; that's good," he told her, and laughed at her surprised look. "Don't look so shocked; I think it's good you've accepted him. I knew right when he joined our side that if he lived through the battle, it was going to be hell for him fitting in. If Dumbledore trusts Draco, then I trust Draco. I haven't mentioned much of it to mum yet, although I know she'll take the same view I do. I haven't told her about you and Snape either though, so I'm sure Draco will take backseat to that news."

Hermione blushed and ducked her head. What could she tell him? She wasn't sure if she should tell him the truth, or the story. If he didn't know the truth, then that means Dumbledore hadn't told him. If Dumbledore hadn't told him, should she? She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but Charlie cut her off before she could.

"Hermione, it's cool. I really don't want to know the details. You looked like you were thinking really hard, so obviously it goes deeper than it seems. If I don't know about it right now, there's probably reason, and I'm fine," he said, and smiled gently.

"Thank you, Charlie."

For the next few hours, she and Charlie sat around talking. They didn't have much in common in the outdoors interests, but he surprised her with a wide knowledge of books and other subjects.

They talked about his family and how he liked his new job. He told her he missed working with dragons, but taking this job felt like an honor and he was proud to do it. Since she wasn't in his class, he showed her his detailed lesson plan, proving that he was just as methodical when it came to lessons as Snape or McGonagall. They spent at least a full hour discussing certain types of animals that he was going to be showcasing over the year.

Before they knew it, it was almost midnight. Charlie made them a quick meal, having learnt from watching his mother, and they continued to talk. Hermione found it was incredibly easy to talk to Charlie; she told herself she would come visit him more often. It was well after 1am that they both felt the ambush of sleepiness, and finally surrendered to it.

Hours later, Hermione was startled awake when she heard pounding on Charlie's front door. She had fallen asleep lying curled in a ball on her side on the couch, while Charlie had simply dozed off still sitting on the couch with his head back over the cushion. She sat up in time to see his head snap up, wand somehow already in his hand, and then the door was blown apart and off its hinges.

Charlie automatically fell on top of her, knocking her back on the couch so he could cover and protect her from the bits of flying wood, while simultaneously casting a shield charm.

"This looks… pleasant," a cold voice drawled from the entry.

"Snape! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Charlie exclaimed, jumping up from the couch, wand still at the ready.

"HERMIONE! Thank god!" came Harry's voice, and suddenly she was caught in a bear hug. Next moment, Harry was wrenched off and she was caught in a different strangled hug, one she wasn't accustomed to yet. As he pulled back, she saw a shock of platinum hair and realized it was Draco.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Hermione asked, confused.

"That's what I'd like to know! Look at my door!" Charlie yelled, still looking at Snape, who still had his wand pointed at the redhead.

"Calm down, Mr. Weasley. Severus, lower your wand. _Reparo_," Dumbledore said calmly, walking in behind the group. "Ah, I see you three have found Ms. Granger; excellent."

"Don't DO that!" Harry yelled at her.

"Do WHAT? I'm still confused!" she exclaimed.

"Disappear, Ms. Granger. If you wanted to spend your night gallivanting around the grounds and spending it in…other's….company, then at least tell someone," Snape said coldly.

She met his steely gaze with one of her own. "I wasn't '_gallivanting_'; I was upset yesterday, and took a walk. I wound up here, where Charlie talked to me, and we lost track of time. We both fell asleep. It's the weekend, so I know I didn't break any rules."

"Hey, Severus, nothing happened, ok?" Charlie said, holding his hands up slightly in mock surrender. "She was upset and just needed to talk. That's it. I was taught not to come in between a relationship." He tried a small smile, and then gave up when Snape refused to answer.

"You see, Ms. Granger, when you didn't come back last night, young Malfoy here got worried, but figured you were already asleep. Apparently, you two had not hung out during the day," Dumbledore explained. At that, Draco and Harry both got slight color at the tops of their cheeks but said nothing. "When he got up for breakfast, he went down to the Hall without you, assuming you were there before him. It was when he walked in and saw Harry alone that he got worried."

"Sometimes you show up with Draco, so I didn't wait for you. I thought I'd meet you in the Hall. But when he showed up alone and said he thought you were with me, we got confused," Harry cut in.

"When Mr. Malfoy was talking to Harry, however, the mail came. You have a letter," Dumbledore continued, and pulled out a letter from his robe. He looked at ease enough because Charlie was there, but even from where she stood she could make out Lucius' handwriting. "Naturally, the boys got worried and fled from the hall. Severus saw the entire affair and met them at your quarters, where they entered your room to find your bed made."

"That's when I remembered my map, summoned it from my room, and we realized you were here," Harry finished.

"I'm sorry for scaring you all, but really, if you saw on the map I was at Charlie's, why would you bust down the door? Obviously Charlie's not a threat," Hermione asked.

"We couldn't be sure of anything under the conditions, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore told her calmly.

"We knocked on the door a few times, and called your name, Hermione, but no one answered. That's about the time Professor Snape got irritated and destroyed Professor Weasley's door," Draco explained.

"We were sleeping. Can I ask what the 'conditions' are?" Charlie asked, looking confused.

"No," Snape said simply, eyeing Charlie with dislike.

"Severus," Dumbledore chided, "I believe Professor Weasley is trustworthy enough to inform."

"No!" Hermione burst out. Everyone stared at her, and she hastened to explain as her face grew red. "You can't. I don't want anyone else dragged into it!"

"Dragged into what?"

"Ms. Granger, he can help. It's good to have more eyes and ears, especially from a teacher which none of you have. He'll be around students that none of you are. I'm sure Professor Weasley is perfectly capable of watching over himself."

"I am…when I know what I'm watching myself for," Charlie hinted, growing impatient.

Dumbledore warded the hut and turned to Charlie.

"First, Professor Weasley, how many O.W.L.'s did you receive your 5th year, and how many NEWT's, if you will," Dumbledore asked.

Still confused, Charlie said, "I got 11 O.W.L's. I only failed Divination, and I got Outstanding in 7 of the 11. I received 10 NEWTS in my seventh year but didn't fail any because I dropped Divination. Why?"

"Precaution, my dear boy; had to make sure it was you," Dumbledore said and proceeded to explained everything to Charlie, starting with the first letter Hermione had told them she got, and up until that morning.

"Wait. Let me get this straight," Charlie started. "Lucius Malfoy has been sending threatening letters to Hermione."

"Yes," Dumbledore answered.

"And he killed her cat."

"Yes."

"And he has a spy at Hogwarts."

"Correct."

"And Professor Snape and Hermione are pretending to be a couple _because_ of his spy here, so Friday's masque was basically them putting on a show."

"Yes."

"And no one knows why he's after her, but he definitely wants her dead."

"YES, Mr. Weasley, YES. Headmaster, I believe he's grasped the finer points. Shall we move on?" Snape interrupted.

"So, Charlie, can I ask for your help?" Dumbledore asked, ignoring Snape.

"Of course! I'll keep 'Mione safe," Charlie said, putting an arm around her shoulder and shaking her a bit. She rolled her eyes up at him, but couldn't help but smile.

"Splendid. Now, I believe we should hear what Lucius has to say in this latest letter before you leave, Ms. Granger."

Sighing, Hermione slit open the envelope, opened the letter, and began to read out loud.

_Hermione Jean,_

_I'm done playing these games. Your cute little stunt at the ball was great and all, but if you don't want your new boyfriend's head to wind up in the next box left in your room, I suggest you take my advice and end it now._

_Don't make things difficult, Hermione. The plan is in motion, and this will be over soon._

_ -Lucius_

The silence that followed was punctuated by a snort coming from Snape.

"Bit overconfident, isn't he?" he said in Draco's direction, who then added his snort in.

"Just a tad, yes," he replied, but his eyes showed the concern he truly held.

"Well, that's over. Now, I believe the house elves will be more than happy to send some breakfast to your dorm, Ms. Granger. You should go eat while I discuss some more information with Professor Weasley here. Oh, and Professor McGonagall would also like to see you three when you're done," Dumbledore said to Hermione, and then turned his attention to Draco & Harry. "I trust you two can see her safely to her room?"

"Yes, Professor," came the reply.

"Bye Charlie. And…thanks; for everything," Hermione said, giving Charlie another hug.

"Anytime, Love, don't even mention it. Everyone needs this once in awhile; remember that," he said, and tried to hide the worry in his eyes.

Without a glance in Snape's direction, Hermione walked up to her two friends and linked each of her arms into one of theirs and walked away back up to the castle.

XXX

Snape stood glaring at Hermione's retreating back. Who the hell did she think she was? She scared her friends half to death this morning and thought nothing of it!

_Scared you a little too, though_, his mind reminded him.

After Hermione left the day before, Snape didn't go back to grading like he said he was. Instead, he sat in front of his fire nursing a few glasses of firewhiskey until almost 1am. He couldn't believe he had kissed his student! Hermione Granger, at that!

"I knew this was a bad idea," he had mumbled to himself, half drunk.

He had fallen asleep in his chair, only to wake up around 7am with a mild hangover and a neck ache. Grabbing a hangover antidote from his cabinet, he downed it before cleaning up and heading to breakfast. He had thought about skipping breakfast altogether so he could avoid Hermione, but decided she wasn't worth him feeling uncomfortable over. He would walk in there like normal and go about his day; to hell with her.

To his dismay, however, his blasé entrance was for nothing; the girl was not in the Hall. Apparently, she was the one playing the avoidance game.

It wasn't until he noticed Draco walking in alone with a confused look and walking over to Potter, who was also alone & looked confusedly at Draco, that he grew curious. Both looks of confusion grew into downright alarm in mere seconds, and only got worse when Lucius' falcon landed on the table. He saw Potter snatch the letter from the bird, and both took off from the Hall. He immediately got up and swept out of the Hall towards the Head room, where he knew they would be headed.

"Ms. Granger's gone missing?" he said to the boys as they rounded opposite corners. At their nods, he whipped out his wand and shot it over his shoulder as he continued walking. The boys saw a glimpse of a big animal fly out of his wand and realized he was sending word to Dumbledore.

They all walked into the Head dorm and made a beeline for Hermione's door.

"Ms. Granger! Open this door!" Snape said loudly, pounding his fist on the door. When no answer was heard after a few minutes, Snape used _alohamora_ on the lock and opened it to find her room empty.

"No sign of her?" Dumbledore asked as he walked into the room.

"No, sir. She also got a letter from Lucius this morning, but she wasn't there to get it. I thought she'd come down with Draco, and Draco thought she had come down with me," Harry told Dumbledore as he handed the letter over.

"We didn't really hang out much yesterday, so I didn't see her go to bed. When she wasn't waiting for me in the morning, I figured she had gone with Harry," Draco said, hanging his head.

"It's not your fault, Mr. Malfoy. However, we need to conduct a sweep of the grounds immediately," Dumbledore answered.

"OH! Hold on! I can do that! ACCIO MAP!" Harry exclaimed, and then muttered, "Why didn't I think of this sooner?"

"What map?" Draco asked, but was answered the next second when the parchment in question zoomed around his head into Harry's hand.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Harry said as he tapped the parchment.

"Hermione Granger," he said to the map, and a second later a red dot glowed. "FOUND HER! SHE'S AT HAGRI-CHARLIE'S HUT!"

"What the devil is she doing there?" Draco asked. "Hey, Severus, you don't think Charlie…." His eyes got wide, but Snape was already striding out the door.

"Hey, wait. Charlie's ok!" Harry said as he started after them.

"You don't understand Lucius, Harry. He'd play anyone, use anyone, or kill anyone to get what he wanted. I wouldn't put it past him to trick Charlie," Draco answered grimly, and then broke into a sprint as they reached the grounds.

Upon reaching Charlie's, Draco went over and pounded on the door and yelled Hermione's name. When no answer came, Harry tried, but there was only silence.

"Move aside," Snape said curtly, and with a casual flick of his wrist the door exploded, and he walked inside with his wand at the ready.

At the sight of the redhead covering Hermione, Snape's temper rose to a dangerous pitch. It took all of his restraint not to hex him into last week. He didn't have time to analyze why he felt so strongly, however, because the next moment Dumbledore walked in and settled everything.

And now here he was, standing in Hagrid's old house, watching the little brat walk back towards the castle as if nothing happened. She was definitely more trouble than she was worth.

"Isn't that right, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, bringing Snape back to the present.

Putting on an air of indifference, Snape turned his back to the retreating figures, and towards the discussion at hand.


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE, NEVER BEEN MINE. NOT MAKING A SINGLE KNUT.**

"You wanted to see us, Professor McGonagall?" Draco asked, walking into the Transfiguration room with Hermione and Harry.

"Yes. I've discussed the matter with the Headmaster and he's agreed to let me give animagus lessons to you three, if you were still interested," McGonagall said. The Deputy Headmistress remembered hearing the students express a keen interest in the subject for the last 2 years, and thought they were finally ready.

"Of course! Thank you!" Hermione said, while both boys nodded fervently.

"Excellent. I've already looked over your schedules and you all have free periods on Tuesdays and Thursdays, therefore, those will be the training days. It just so happens I also have a free period at that time. I will warn you now, however, that this will be a tedious and difficult journey. I suggest reading up on the subject. We will meet this Tuesday to go over the basics," McGonagall said. "Oh, and please don't talk about this to anyone else."

"Can you believe it? I'm so excited! I wonder what my animal form will be!" Hermione said once they were in the hallway again.

"Probably a bookworm," Draco said in an offhand voice.

"Oh, you're hilarious. Whatever mine will be, I'll never stop laughing if you come out a ferret!" she said, while Harry roared with laughter and Draco glared.

XXX

"Morning, Hermione," Draco greeted her as she walked out of her room Monday morning.

Yawning, Hermione waved at him before making her way to the bathroom. 15 minutes later, she walked out looking clean, and dressed in her school robes.

"Hey, I have something for you," he told her as she grabbed her book bag. Walking over to her, he waited until she opened her hand before dropping a necklace into it.

"Draco! Thank you! It's wonderful!" she told him. The necklace was made of what looked like tightly woven hemp, interlaced with strands of silver. Hanging from the middle was a silver chimera about the size of a muggle nickel.

"Thanks; I made it. The necklace part is interlaced with strands of titanium, even though they look silver. The titanium is stronger, and hemp is very strong, so the necklace is almost indestructible. If not, there's a charm on it for that. Also, I carved the chimera charm out of platinum, which took some time, let me tell you. I figured it would be funny thing to put on it, and platinum doesn't react badly to potions," he explained.

"You _made_ it? Wow, Draco. This is great. How do I put it on?" she asked, confused by the clasp. Two metal ends were stuck together, and at first she thought they might be magnets, but they refused to come apart.

"You have to tap the necklace with your wand and say 'unlock', or else it won't come apart. I did it so that it won't fall off at any point when making potions or anything. You can also shower with it on, so you never really _have_ to take it off. And when you want to put it on, you just touch the ends together and they seal like a magnet. I have the matching bracelet. I thought it looked a little manlier," he told her, smirking, and held out his right arm to show off his piece of jewelry. It was woven of the same hemp and titanium strands, but connected on either sides of his chimera rather than have his charm dangle from it.

"Oh, most definitely," she assured him. "So, what happened with you and Harry on Saturday?"

They were now walking towards the Great Hall for breakfast and Draco looked around before casting the _muffliato_.

"I know you know what happened, so don't play dumb. As for what's happening _now,_ your guess is as good as mine. He didn't really talk to me all day yesterday, and he isn't waiting for us this morning. I think he feels awkward. I don't know what to do," Draco said, looking crestfallen.

"Give it some time; this is new to him too. At least you embraced what you felt some time ago. Harry is obviously trying to cope with it now. He's going to need some help. And at least you don't have to worry about the student body talking about your affair with the Potions Master, and getting kicked out of class for it," she told him as they neared the Great Hall and the students around it all looked at them.

Muttering the counter charm to the _muffliato_, Draco agreed with her.

"Yeah, you're right. Your situation is much worse," he said. She had explained the probability of getting kicked out of potions to Harry and Draco as they walked up to the castle the day before, and both agreed with Snape that it had a high likelihood. "But no matter what, you got us," he finished as they walked through the doors and almost every head to look at her.

Rolling her eyes, she thanked Draco, and walked over to where Harry sat at his usual place.

"Ready for Potions?" he asked as soon as she sat down, an evil grin on her face.

"This is going to be horrible, Harry," she pouted. Looking up at the staff, she noticed Charlie walking in and gave him a timid wave, smiling when he winked and waved back.

When they had both eaten, and Hermione could no longer stall, they both hitched up their bags and headed towards the doors.

Draco caught up as they passed through the doors, and flung an arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"This should be fun, eh?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Nice bracelet, Draco," Harry said, eyeballing the glint of silver that had caught his eye, and then the charm hanging from Hermione's necklace.

Pulling his arm back to himself, Draco easily replied, "I made it, and made Hermione a matching necklace as well. I, uh, made an extra bracelet in case you wanted one, but I wasn't sure how you felt on jewelry." He reached in his pocket and produced a bracelet identical to his own, except in place of the chimera there was a bold, capital letter H.

Moving to Harry's side on the other side of Hermione, Draco showed how the clasp opened in the middle of the H, and how to lock and unlock it. Harry held it up in front of his face and cocked his head at it, as though considering it. He tried muttering out of the corner of his mouth to Draco, and Hermione tried very hard to pretend not to notice and faked a sneeze and started clearing her throat, feeling like she should give them a moment. Whatever Harry had asked, Draco nodded and leaned in to whisper something in Harry's ear, making Harry break into a broad grin. Finally, Harry put the bracelet on, and they resumed their track to Potions.

XXX

"Ridiculous! Absolutely outrageous!" Hermione yelled, pacing up and down her commons area. It was lunch time, and the three friends had chosen to eat in the room rather than make an appearance in the Great Hall.

Earlier, the possibility of being kicked out of Potions was made into reality when at least 5 students complained of her getting unfair treatment. Finally when the fifth student had said something, not even bothering to say it under their breath, she had flipped out and started yelling at them. The result was a night in detention. Ten minutes later, Dumbledore had shown up and requested her and Professor Snape give him a few minutes of their time. Out in the hall, Dumbledore proceeded to tell her that it would be best if she took private lessons with Snape to earn her Potions grade, and they would spread it that she was taking Potions lessons with Dumbledore.

"I mean, I knew it would probably happen, but still!" Hermione said, for what seemed like the tenth time.

Her rant was interrupted by Dumbledore's voice coming from the fireplace, and they turned to see his head floating in the flames.

"Excuse me, Ms. Ganger, but I think you should come to my office; Mr. Potter and Malfoy as well. I believe we have found a key component to your problem with Malfoy Sr. I have allowed floo access to my office this one time. Please, step on through, all of you."

When they arrived in Dumbledore's office, they saw Charlie and Snape standing on both sides of the fireplace and Dumbledore back behind his desk. For once, Draco didn't transfigure a bean bag chair; he seemed too nervous and preferred to stand like the two professor's. Hermione had immediately sunk into the chair in front of the desk and Harry had chosen the seat next to her.

Getting right to the point, Dumbledore looked Hermione in the eye. "Ms. Granger, it seems there was a sort of prophecy made that is making Lucius act this way." At Harry's snort, Dumbledore paused and looked at him.

Harry's face got red, and he apologized. "Sorry, Professor, it's just…there _always _seems to be a prophecy."

"Yes, I know. However, this is slightly different. This one was available to the public." At their confused looks, he continued to explain. "An old Seer named Tangio Santos wrote a book about 100 years ago. In it seemed to be a collection of poems. It wasn't until around 50 years later that it was discovered that many of these so called poems were suspiciously close to happenings that were occurring all over. Many muggleborns compared it to the writings of the Mayans or Copernicus. I recently discovered that Lucius has a copy of this book; Professor Snape said he remembered seeing it in the Malfoy library. Santos only copied down 15 poems; 14 of which have all come true in some form, most being before your time. I have searched through it, seeing if it could hold anything, and I believe I found something."

Pulling out a dusty tome, Dumbledore opened to a page he had bookmarked and began to read.

"_The nameless foe will meet his end, _

_a broken body which cannot mend._

_Ignorant of era not over yet, _

_the darkest powers are still to get. _

_Pale Death lurks in safety's walls, _

_hunting the heart which has taken all. _

_A plot to use the lioness's blood, _

_to suck the power from the mud, _

_will make the evil grow in might,_

_and so begins the endless night. _

_Only when heart is no longer hers, _

_will the power settle scores. _

_The magic within must be embraced, _

_Unbeknownst will surely raze, _

_for the magic both know not of, _

_will once again reign above."_

"We've broken the prophecy down trying to decipher it. Normally, prophecies don't rhyme and they tell more detail. This one, however, is rather cryptic," Snape said, breaking the silence that had followed the reading.

"I thought it sounded weird. I mean, the one about me was pretty straight forward: I'd be born in July, my parents had defied Voldemort three times, he'd mark me, etcetera etcetera. But this…this is different," Harry said.

"Quite. Now, we obviously know that the 'nameless foe' is Voldemort, since he was called He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and his broken body was beyond repair. Pale Death we're guessing to be Lucius since he has the trademark Malfoy white blond hair and was a Death Eater, and he has his spy lurking in Hogwarts, meaning 'safety's walls'," Dumbledore added.

"And seeing how he blames me for losing everything, I must be the heart he hunts," Hermione said.

"Being a Gryffindor, you would also be a lioness," Draco interjected.

"What does he need her blood for?" Charlie asked.

"There are many…dark spells…which use blood," Snape said. "It is our guess that Lucius has found one to use Ms. Granger's blood to make his own powers greater."

"He wants to take Voldemort's spot," Harry said in comprehension.

"That sounds like him," Draco murmured, starting to pace by the fire. "And of course, it makes sense with the first part when it said that the powers are still there to get."

"And of course, since I'm a muggleborn, he will need to 'suck the power' from the dirt in my blood," Hermione said scathingly.

"What about the rest, though? What power needs to be embraced? And what power do they not know of?" Harry asked.

"We don't know yet, Harry. We can only guess. So far, we've figured that it would be the power he tries to extract. If performed wrong, and not embraced, then it could destroy him. And as for the power, neither Ms. Granger or Lucius know of the power that Voldemort had, seeing how he was one of the most powerful in history," Dumbledore said, with sadness in his eyes.

"But it said raise," Harry interjected.

"Not r-a-i-s-e, Harry. R-a-z-e. Raze; meaning to destroy," Hermione said in a monotone, looking straight ahead. "Demolish, annihilate, wreck, devastate."

A heartbeat of silence was heard, and then Charlie asked the question that had been plaguing him since he heard the poem. "And…what of the part about her heart no longer belonging to her?"

For this, no one had an answer, and Hermione finally succumbed to tears.


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER: STILL NOT MINE.**

That night while the three friends were gathered in the common area of the Head dorm, the fire glowed green and a letter shot out of the fire place, landing at Hermione's feet.

Seeing the familiar handwriting of Professor Snape, Hermione opened it and read it to herself.

"So what does my godfather have to say?" Draco asked idly, having noticed the handwriting on the front.

Sighing, Hermione folded the parchment up and stood. "Apparently, my Potions lessons start tonight. However, I'm supposed to go to his office rather than his classroom since I'm not supposed to be having lessons with him. From his office we'll go to his private lab, and then he'll floo me home when we're finished." Rolling her eyes, she went to her room to throw on a school robe over her muggle jeans and shirt she had donned when they had gotten back to the dorm.

"Guess I'll see you later tonight, or tomorrow if he keeps me forever," Hermione said, waving.

"Have fun," both boys chorused as she walked out of the room.

XXX

Hermione knocked on Snape's office door and waited for him to say 'Enter' before she walked in. Snape stood by the fireplace looking like he had just ended a conversation, and turned to look at her as she walked in.

"Good evening, Ms. Granger. Forgive the late hour, but we must set up a schedule and plan for your lessons to come. Follow me," he said as he started walking towards a plain wooden arched door in one of his walls. He muttered some words she didn't hear but knew he was lowering the wards.

"Now, as frustrating as this seems for you, and time consuming it is for me, I'm forced to see reason and realize this might be for the best. You're already at a faster pace than the other students, and this will be a good time to challenge you," Snape continued, ignoring her gasp as they walked into his private lab.

Beautiful was the only word she could find to describe it. She knew that one day she wanted to have a lab just like this one. It had to be at least the size of the classroom. Everything was pristine and clean. Most work areas looked to be made of black marble, but he also had a few work tables made of other materials, like wood, stainless steel, granite, and even a small glass table. Each work table had a place for cutting and a place with burners, all perfectly aligned and clean. Lining the walls were shelves filled with cauldrons, made of everything from pewter and stone, to silver and gold. For every material a cauldron was made of, he had several sizes of each. In the back of the room was a wide door, and through it she figured had to be the potion ingredients.

"If you're finished gawking, Ms. Granger, we should get started. Pull up a stool," Snape said, already sitting at one of the marble slabs.

"Professor, this is wonderful! I've never seen a lab look like this!" Hermione said as she dropped onto her stool.

"Thank you. This is where I do all of my brewing, including the potions for the hospital wing and Lupin's wolfsbane. When you are in here you will listen to everything I have to say, and obey it. I don't normally let students in here," he told her, and waited for her nod of acquiesce before continuing. "We will meet here every Monday and Wednesday evening after dinner from 7:30 pm- 9:30 pm, and sometimes longer. You will be doing potions that will not only show up on your N.E.W.T, but also potions that are above it."

"Yes, sir. Thank you again for this. It seems I'm making a mess of everyone's year back," Hermione said.

"Ms. Granger, let me assure you, I'm used to much worse. Now, since we covered that, I really don't have much else to say. You are free to go back to your room, unless you have any questions," Snape stated, already rising from his stool.

"Actually sir, I do. I want to know about blood potions and rituals," she said abruptly.

"I should have clarified; any questions pertaining to your lessons," he answered.

"Well, it technically does pertain to my lessons since I have to have these private lessons because of whatever potion or ritual Lucius wants to conduct on me," she shot at him. For a second that seemed to hold a year, Snape stared at her. Then, he shrugged slightly and started pacing by the table.

"Fine, I will tell you what I can. First, you must understand the importance of blood. Can you tell me any properties it may contain to make it a powerful potion ingredient?"

"Well, it's a unique ingredient. No two blood samples are the same unless taken by the same person, or identical twins," she answered.

"Correct. Now, imagine the different types of potions. Not all potions made are meant to be ingested. Some potions can be turned to cream, such as the burn salve I make for the Hospital Wing. Some potions can be turned to a consistency of oil, meant to be rubbed into the skin. All potions, however, eventually make its way somehow into your body. Adding blood to a potion is some of the Darkest forms of magic. You'll remember that the Dark Lord used Potter's blood in the potion that was made to help him rise, and you'll also note that it was used like a bath, yet still soaked into the body. What the Dark Lord did was a form of Blood-Bonding, which is exactly how it sounds. He bonded his blood with Potter's, making Potter's protection run in his veins, thus making him more powerful. Whether I like to admit it, Mr. Potter is an extremely powerful wizard when he sets his mind to something. Combining his blood, which contains his wizarding cells, with the blood and cells of one of the most powerful wizards in history, you get exactly what Voldemort turned into."

"So is Lucius going to try to blood bond us? Another form?" she asked, trying to grasp it.

"Again, we can only speculate. However, we're fairly certain it will NOT be the same form the Dark Lord used. There is, unfortunately, a Dark ritual that we believe he may be leaning towards. It involves a…sacrifice," Snape said slowly.

"Sacrifice…meaning me," she answered meekly.

Nodding, Snape continued. "We believe that Lucius will use a different form of blood bonding, where he will sacrifice you and use your blood in a potion. During said ritual, spells and chants will be performed, attempting to raise the spirit powers of his fallen Master, and thus combine his blood with your own and some of the Dark Lord's. When the exchange and combining is done, Lucius will be extremely powerful and dangerous. He will have four different wizard's powers running in his blood."

"Who's the 4th? There are Lucius, Voldemort, and myself," Hermione said.

"You forget the beginning of our conversation. To whom did the Dark Lord originally bond with?" On seeing the dawning comprehension, Snape nodded. "Yes, since the Dark Lord had already used Mr. Potter's blood to rise, his blood is now tainted with both."

"But sir," Hermione started, looking confused again, "how is he going to get blood from Voldemort? He's dead, and we disposed of his body. Would he come after Harry?"

"No, we're sure he's not going to target Mr. Potter. While his power and blood may have traces in the _Dark Lord's_ blood, Mr. Potter doesn't have traces of the Dark Lord. He never bonded himself to him; he was just the giver of the blood. As for the Dark Lord's blood, we aren't sure yet. There are many ways he could've gotten it, including during the chaos that ensued after the battle."

"So now he's just waiting for a good time to grab me," Hermione summed up.

"Precisely. Which is also the reason the Headmaster has decided you should remain at the school during the holidays and Hogsmeade visits, of course," he told her.

"WHAT? He didn't tell me that!" she yelled.

"Calm down, woman," Snape snapped, and Hermione realized who she had been yelling at and stopped immediately. "Even if he hadn't gotten around to telling you, are you actually surprised? It should've been obvious. Use that famed brain of yours."

Hermione just crossed her arms and pouted. "I hate Lucius Malfoy. Not only is he ruining my last year of school, but he's ruining my friends and professor's years, and now I can't even see my parents at Christmas time! Oh god, my parents! I haven't even explained to them; how do you put this in a letter?"

"I believe the Headmaster was going to write one, or pay them a visit. But that will be for you to discuss with him. I've already said more than I was supposed to."

"He didn't want me to know about the bonding?" Hermione guessed.

"He felt we should hold off until we knew more facts. However, I'm fairly certain we've hit the nail on the head. All we need to do now is keep you away from Malfoy," Snape said.

"You can't protect me forever, Severus," Hermione said quietly, looking at the table. "Eventually, I'm going to leave here. You guys won't be able to follow me around for the rest of your lives."

"Well, then, Ms. Gr-Hermione, it looks like we'll have to stop him before you leave, won't we? I told you that as long as Lucius is out there, I-we'll be right here protecting you."

"Always?" Hermione asked, her mouth curving in the corners, remembering the same line spoken between them at the Masque.

Snape's eyes snapped up to meet hers head-on, and she almost got lost in the black depths of them.

"Always."

XXX

Tuesday afternoon found the three friends in the Transfiguration classroom going over the basics of an Animagus transformation.

"What you all three must understand is that this is very advanced magic. I know Ms. Granger checked the registry back in your third year, so that should give you a rough estimate on how many witches and wizards even bother learning how," Professor McGonagall was saying. Upon seeing Harry and Hermione smirk, and Draco looking at confused at their smirks, she smiled slightly. "That registry, of course, does not include the few people who do not register."

Draco still looked confused so Harry leaned towards him in his seat. "My dad was an unregistered Animagus, along with two of his best friends, including my Godfather."

"And that horrible Skeeter woman, don't forget her," Hermione chimed in.

"Oh yeah; Sirius was a dog, right? I remember my dad seeing him on the platform back in 5th year. What was your dad?" Draco asked.

"A stag," Harry said, shrugging.

"Same as your patronus; I get it now," Draco said, nodding.

"Professor, will we know what animal we will transform into?" Hermione asked.

"Excellent question, Ms. Granger, and the answer is no. If you manage the transformation at all the first time, the form will be a surprise."

"Is there any way to nudge ourselves into something? Or, rather, into _not_ being something?" Draco asked.

"Yes and no. It's a complicated process. The transformation comes from within. You'll find that a lot of animagi are very much like their animal they turn into. For example, I change into a cat, and I've been told I have the temper like one," McGonagall said, smirking slightly.

"Or Sirius! He had that bark-like laugh, and could be very rowdy, but was also really loyal," Harry said, smiling.

"And Wormtail was a rat, through and through," Draco added in.

"And Rita Skeeter's form was perfect for her to spy and get a good story," Hermione finished.

"Exactly. Since it comes from within, the magic coursing through your body will decide what you should be. In many cases when the witch or wizard transforms back after the first time, they say that they should've guess that particular animal or that they aren't surprised. Now, as for telling your mind what _not_ to be, it won't help, I'm afraid. However, neither will telling your mind _what_ to be," McGonagall explained.

"Looks like you're just going to have to hope the magic doesn't believe you have the personality of a ferret, Draco," Hermione said and stuck her tongue out at him when he glared.

"Let's not dwell on that subject; you have to make it to the transformation first. Not only is this difficult and advanced magic, but it can also be hazardous. You've all heard of splinching? Yes, well, think of that, but instead of leaving behind a body part, you're stuck half animal. Now, I believe that's enough for today; you all have the books I told you to read and I expect you to be ready on Thursday," McGonagall said, dismissing them.

Out in the hall, the three friends were taking their time walking around the castle. They had a little bit before their next class started (Muggle Studies for Draco and Hermione, and another free period for Harry who wasn't taking as many classes).

"I know she said not to dwell, but…really…it's kind of freaky not knowing what you'll turn into," Harry said.

"I know! I really don't want to put so much time and effort, not to mention my body, on the line just to finally transform and realize I'm a bunny or something!" Draco agreed, and Harry laughed.

"Oh, I don't know," Hermione chided in. "I think it's kind of cool; sort of mysterious. I think the concept of the magic actually taking from our personalities and souls is fascinating."

"I just don't want to be a stag. I mean, I love my patronus, but I'm not my dad," Harry said.

"No, you're not Bambi material, Harry," Draco told him, trying to sound smart with his muggle knowledge.

"Studying Disney movies, then?" Harry asked, the corners of his mouth upturned.

"About 2 weeks back, yeah."

"Ugh, whatever I turn into I just hope it doesn't have the physical characteristic of my hair!" Hermione said.

Harry started laughing and said, "Oh man, could you imagine Hermione as a poodle with her hair from 1st year?"

"Oh god, that would be a nightmare!" Hermione said as she joined in the laughter.

"Whatever I get, I hope it doesn't have my stupid scar. I know that your animal keeps some characteristics of you, but that would just be too much. Even if I turned into something extremely awesome, I'll be so pissed if I had to keep this thing," Harry added in, pointing at his forhead. "I mean, it wouldn't be hard to figure out who I am, would it? 'Oh look, an aardvark with a lighting shaped scar. Harry must've learned how to become an animagi!'"

"Why would you be an aardvark?" Hermione asked, laughing once more.

"I don't know! It was an example!"

"It sucks that we can't help our mind and body choose the animal. I've been trying to perfect thinking non-ferrety thoughts," Draco sighed, and the other two laughed.

XXX

"Honestly, this is just getting ridiculous!" Hermione huffed as she walked with Harry and Draco to dinner that night.

"More stares and whispers, I take it?" Harry asked. He had just spent his last free period riding his Firebolt around the quidditch field after their double Charms class they had that afternoon.

"Yes! All through Ancient Runes I had to sit there while pretending not to notice them! It's just ridiculous!"

"I know; it's like people have never heard of a student/teacher affair before," Draco said idly, picking a piece of lint off his robe.

Hermione smacked his arm while Harry hid his laugh behind a cough.

"So when do you think Dumbledore will be able to get a new DADA teacher?" Harry asked.

Last week Professor Moddell had had a nervous breakdown in class. It turned out that he couldn't stand students, and had started to crack under the strain of being their teacher. He knew that the Defense teacher was always replaced year after year, and he had started getting paranoid about a conspiracy involving the students being out to get him. Long story short, he had started smelling strongly of firewhiskey, and had finally attempted to duel his entire first year class, claiming self defense when Dumbledore showed up.

"Hopefully soon, I like that class and I don't want to get behind," Hermione said, ignoring Harry and Draco when they rolled their eyes.

"I think he set a new record for shortest time here, though," Draco added in.

As they walked into the Hall, Hermione ignored the stares and whispers and noticed a change in the scenery.

"Harry! It's Remus!" she said, pointing at the staff table. Indeed, the werewolf was sitting between McGonagall and Snape, while Dumbledore leaned forward to talk to him.

Taking their seats at their respective tables, Hermione and Harry waited for the food to appear. When it seemed like everyone in the castle had shown up and people were starting to get restless, Dumbledore stood up.

"Thank you for your patience. I had wanted to make sure everyone was here for an announcement before we stuffed ourselves silly with the elves magnificent food. I'd like everyone to welcome back Professor Lupin, who has to agreed, once again, to take over the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts for the remainder of the year. Let's give him a round of applause as we all thank him and wish him good luck," Dumbledore said as he started clapping his hands. The applause was fairly loud coming from the older students, 5th year and up, who had been at the school when Lupin had originally taught.

"Well, there you go, Harry; that should answer your question!" Hermione laughed.

"Thank god, because that Moddell guy was horrible. Now I can actually look forward to class again. Especially since that was the only class I was ever better than you at when Remus was our teacher," Harry added slyly and had to duck to dodge a piece of roast potato.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.

After dinner that night, Hermione and Harry rushed up to the staff table to greet their returning professor.

"Remus! How're you? I've missed you!" Hermione gushed when she saw him, and immediately threw her arms around him.

"Hey Hermione! And Harry! How've you both been?" Lupin said, hugging Hermione back while simultaneously shaking one of Harry's hands. "You both look great!"

"So do you, Remus. What've you been up to?" Harry asked.

"Oh, nothing incredibly important. It's been easier to get a job now that I have my Order of Merlin, but when Dumbledore told me about your other teacher, I practically begged him to let me return. I miss teaching," Remus replied, gazing wistfully around the hall.

"Welcome back, Professor Lupin," said a timid drawl to their side, and they turned to see Draco looking uncomfortable but trying to hide it, declining his head a fraction in a bow of sorts. They knew he probably felt weird seeing Remus after the horrible stuff he said to him as a student. Even after he joined the Light, Draco never really spoke to Remus.

Remus hesitated for a second as his eyes swept the three friends and then broke into an easy grin. "Thanks Draco. You're looking good too. Feel free to call me Remus when not in class, as well. We all fought on the same side long enough."

Draco's face lit up in a smile and he joined into the conversation with a practiced ease. "Of course I look good; I always look good. But it's always nice to hear it."

Hermione and Harry just rolled their eyes and laughed.

"So do we get to know what you'll be starting us off with?" Hermione eagerly asked.

"Geez, 'Mione, give the man some room to breathe. He just got here; he probably doesn't have a grindylow in his suitcase," Charlie said, coming up to the group. "Hello Remus, it's good to see you again."

"And you. How's Molly?"

"Good, good; she's a strong woman. And Bill is there to help her," Charlie answered.

"There will be time to see Professor Lupin tomorrow in class, Mr.'s Potter and Malfoy, and Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said, and they all turned to see him smiling down at them.

There was a round of 'Yes, sir's and the three friends waved goodbye to their professors.

XXX

The end of the week could not have come sooner for Hermione. When she awoke on Saturday morning, she wanted nothing more than to just lie in bed all day. Even with Remus being back, the week had been hell. Everywhere she went she was tormented by students all wanting to know about Snape and she was tired of it.

Finally after about 15 more minutes, she pulled herself out of bed and into the shower. She decided she would go see Charlie or Remus today; lay low of the other students.

When she was finished getting dressed, she walked out to the commons area and was greeted with yelling.

"You're raving!" Harry yelled across the room to Draco. He looked horrible; he had bags under his eyes and stubble covered the lower half of his face.

"Well you weren't saying that when my cock was in your mouth, were you?" Draco shot back.

Hermione saw Harry's hand twitch towards his wand and automatically put a shield charm up between them.

"What in Hades is going on here?" Hermione shot at both boys. When neither one answered, she rolled her eyes and asked them again.

"Nothing," Harry finally said, turned on his heel, and stormed out the door.

Disabling her shield charm and stowing her wand back up her sleeve, Hermione hesitantly walked towards Draco, scared by the murderous look on his face.

"Draco?" she asked apprehensively. He ignored her as he kept his eyes on the door.

Draco, who had also had his wand in hand, pointed it at Hermione like a lightning strike; she didn't even have time to flinch. He said something under his breath, and then suddenly he was shooting at everything in the room. Nothing escaped his wand; his beanbag chair exploded, picture frames shattered, the table lay in splinters…he missed nothing. There was glass and debris flying through the air and Hermione instinctively covered her head. After a few moments she realized that nothing was hitting her; in fact, there was a perfect circle around her that was free from debris. Suddenly, his muttered words made sense; he had put an adapted shield charm on her before he started his tantrum so she wouldn't get hurt.

However, it seems he had forgotten to shield himself and as the dust settled, she saw him on the floor, slumped over on his side. She disabled the shield he had put around her and ran to his side, dropping to the ground as she reached him.

As she attempted to roll him over, she noticed dozens of cuts and scrapes covering his body. She was already wandlessly Summoning her Dittany bottle when she saw a four inch shard of glass protruding from his chest, probably from a damaged picture frame. There were also pieces of splintered wood stuck under parts of his skin, including a piece in his side.

Immediately, she sent a message patronus from her wand to Madam Pomfrey and set to work, thankful once again that she had taken the medi-training courses with Draco prior to the war. She started by scanning the area around the piece of glass with her wand, as well as the wood pieces to make sure it hadn't splintered off. If it did, it would be harder to fix, and would have to be extracted before she started to repair him. The spots on his body that glowed blue showed where pieces had splintered so she started on those first. She had just removed the large piece of wood and the splinters around it from his side when Madam Pomfrey came through the fireplace.

Right away, the Mediwitch dropped to her knees to assess the damage and Hermione started to explain what had happened while continuing the treatment.

"I'm guessing he's unconscious, judging by the bump on his head," Pomfrey said, nodding at the large purple bruise that was starting on the blonde's head. She continued check the rest of the harm before starting on the piece of glass. Once that was safely removed, the mediwitch declared him safe to move and levitated him to the fireplace, where all 3 went through.

In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey levitated Draco onto a cot and the two girls set to work. After another quarter hour, they finally had him stable and Madam Pomfrey set a headache potion on his bedside table.

"He's going to have a nasty headache when he wakes up. I was able to minimize the bump on his head, and he doesn't have a concussion so he's safe to sleep, but it still won't feel nice. The potions we gave to him will probably knock him out for the rest of the day anyway, since they need time to work. It was good you were there to find him; I believe we were able to stop or minimize scarring at least. You can stay here with him if you like," the mediwitch told Hermione.

Hermione just nodded and sank into a chair by his bed to wait out the time until he woke up.

XXX

It had to be late, Hermione could feel that much. She woke in an uncomfortable position, and for a few seconds was confused to where she was and tried to think through the slight headache she felt. It dawned on her that she was uncomfortable because she was curled in a chair next to a hospital bed, and the headache must be from lack of food that day. She must've fallen asleep waiting for Draco to wake.

Yawning, she thought she felt eyes on her, so she opened hers and moved them over to the patient and was momentarily startled to find him staring back at her, lying on his side.

"Hey stranger," he said.

"Hey yourself," she replied and moved her chair closer to him. For a few minutes no one spoke. Finally, Hermione decided she would die of starvation if she didn't eat soon and quietly summoned a house elf and asked him to bring them some food. In a flash, Draco had some soup on his table, and Hermione had some sandwiches and pumpkin juice.

Settling back comfortably in her chair, Hermione started eating a sandwich and looked at the blonde.

"So," she said in between mouthfuls, "what happened?"

Ignoring his food, Draco just shrugged. "I lost my temper. I have a habit of doing that. You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No, I didn't. Thanks for that. But you really should control your temper," she answered idly.

"Well, usually I don't get hit with rebound things. Occasionally it's happened and Severus has had to knit me back up, but normally I'm fine. The _reducto_ spell is one of my favorites because it lets me get out aggression."

"Well, it looks like Madam Pomfrey and I were able to leave you with little or no scars, but you had some bad cuts. We had to administer quite a few healing potions to help knit you up from the inside that our spells couldn't reach. Madam Pomfrey wants you to stay overnight, obviously, and I believe she said the next day or so to make sure no shards or splinters were missed. The potions will tell us," Hermione told him, and drank from her glass. "So, what was the argument about?"

Draco rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling. "Nothing important."

"Sure. You just blow up the living room and almost kill yourself in the process all because you're upset, but it's not important," she said nonchalantly.

Sighing, Draco continued to stare at the ceiling. Finally, after about a minute he started to speak.

"Harry's…angry. He's angry at me, at himself, at life…at everything in general. He accused me of 'hoodwinking' him into sleeping with me. He said he wasn't in his right mind and it was a mistake. I told him that he's still running, but now he's running from himself," Draco told the ceiling, pretending Hermione wasn't there. "I told him that I might've believed him, except that ever since that day we've been close. Stolen kisses here and there, casual brushing of hands against the others' hand or thigh or back, those kinds of things."

"And apparently he didn't take it well," Hermione said to her cup, giving Draco the courtesy of not staring at him when he was obviously uncomfortable.

Laughing low, Draco said, "Not at all. He told me that the kissing was because he didn't know how to say no, and that the touching was in my head and all coincidence. I told him he was full of shit and if he was embarrassed to be gay or to be gay and seen with me then that was all he had to say. He yelled and said he wasn't gay, and I told him that it sure seemed that way when we were going at it in my room."

"Even in arguments, you never lose your wit, do you?" Hermione added in, laughing.

"Never. Anyway, I told him that he would just have to eventually admit he liked men, and that's about the time you walked in. He said I was raving, I came back with a remark about my dick, and bada bing bada boom, I'm lying in the Hospital Wing because I didn't put a shield charm on myself," Draco finished.

They sat for a few seconds in silence before it was broken.

"Do you think he'll come around? Not here to see me, but in his mind," Draco asked, still staring at the ceiling.

Looking at him finally, Hermione saw his eyes had glassed over. "I'm not sure; about either. Harry's very stubborn." She jumped when his fists came down on the bed.

"Dammit! What's his problem? Does he not realize that he's not the only one with issues? Does he think it's easy for _me_, being the son of a known Death Eater? Looking in the mirror and seeing _him_ looking out at me, thanks to genetics that make me look like his god damn clone? Not being able to walk down the streets of London or Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley without getting insults hurled at me? Or better yet, hexes? Spit? I blended in with the Germans over the last year, and it was the first peace I'd gotten in years! Does he not realize how I feel trying to cope with that, and on top of it knowing I've been a fucking fag for years now?" Draco was trying to keep his voice low in case he woke the Mediwitch, and the low voice only made him sound more dangerous. He blinked and hot tears rolled down his face, and he swiped at them. "Does he not realize how amazing he is?"

"Of course he doesn't. He's been conditioned since childhood by his aunt and uncle to believe he's scum, and then he never truly got to have a normal childhood here because almost every year, Voldemort or _someone_ seemed to be after him. I'm sure eventually he'll calm down," Hermione said, rubbing his arm soothingly.

"It doesn't bother me that he doesn't want me; that I could deal with in my own way. I just want to see him embrace life and himself for once. Would I love for it to be with me? Of course. I've wanted him since fifth year. I saw him riding his broom out on the field by himself when he was all moody that year, and he had his button down shirt open and looked so calm," Draco said, and his eyes glazed over for a second before shaking himself into the present. "But that's not the point. I just wanted him to look at who he is. I didn't want to force him."

"Draco, stop. You didn't force him. Trust me, I could hear you guys. F.Y.I, next time set a silencing charm on the door. There was nothing that sounded like rape in there. I think he's just confused. I can tell you care a lot about him, and I hope he comes around soon, because I agree with you completely. And for what it's worth, I'd love for him to come to you when he finally comes around."

"Thanks Hermione," Draco said hoarsely, and cleared his throat.

"Anytime sweetie, you know that."

"You can go back to the common room if you like. I'm feeling a little sleepy from the potions and that chair doesn't look comfortable," Draco told her, turning back on his side to look at her.

"You mean you're actually going to let me wander the castle on my own at night?" she said in mock surprise. He just smiled and she leaned down to give him a kiss on his head. "Get some sleep. Maybe she'll let you leave tomorrow."

"Let's hope."

"You sure you'll be ok here? Send a patronus to me if you want me to come back," she told him.

"I'll be fine," he told her and rolled his eyes. "Good night, Hermione," he said softly and watched her walk out of the Hospital Wing.

XXX

"Wow, Harry, you look horrible," Hermione said by way of greeting the next morning at breakfast. She found when she got back to her rooms that it was around 1 am, and she was able to fall back asleep until almost 7.

Harry just grunted and looked away. The stubble was thickening, and the bags under his eyes looked bigger.

"Couldn't sleep?" she prodded, trying to get anything out of him than noises. At the shake of his head she gave up and focused on her breakfast, noticing Harry eating nothing.

"Where's Malfoy? Doesn't he usually come down with you?" a voice to Hermione's right asked, and she looked to see it was Ginny. "Hey Harry!" She flashed Harry a dazzling smile.

"Usually, yeah, but unfortunately Draco isn't feeling well. He's in the hospital wing," Hermione told her, noticing Harry tense slightly in her peripheral vision.

"Oh man, is he ok?" the redhead asked.

"He should be fine. I was able to help him, and together Madam Pomfrey and I sorted him out. He should be getting released today, hopefully," she explained, carefully avoided looking at Harry when he stood up and mumbled something about going to fly.

Ginny waved goodbye to him, but he just kept walking.

"Ginny, you're not still after Harry, are you?" Hermione asked. Her friends face turned red.

"I was just being friendly. He _is_ my friend, after all," Ginny said defensively. Hermione let the matter drop; all would reveal itself eventually she figured.

A few minutes later, Hermione was also done and leaving the Hall. She was wondering what she should do that day when she heard a voice calling her name. Turning, she saw Charlie walking in from the front doors.

"Hey, 'Mione. What's up?"

"Nothing, really; I was just trying to decide what to do with myself today. I thought about popping in to see how Draco is doing, but other than that I'm drawing a blank," she laughed.

"Perfect. Want to go to Diagon Alley with me? I need some supplies for class that they don't sell in Hogsmeade."

"Sure! Let me go get changed. I don't feel like looking like a student on a weekend."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll meet you back here in twenty minutes?" he asked.

"Perfect," she said, and waved goodbye as she went to her room.

Twenty-two minutes later, she was jogging down the stairs to the entrance hall. She had trouble figuring out what she should wear. Not knowing if they would have to travel into muggle London or not, she decided to stick with her favorite jeans and a simple black long sleeved thermal shirt. The shirt dipped perhaps a little too low, but in her defense she had worn the shirt for years and she had just barely started to really fill it out last year. A quick charm on her hair to make it smooth and she was gone.

XXX

"Ugh, it's so nice to be out of the castle. It's been so hectic lately," Hermione said, as she and Charlie walked down the cobbled road of Diagon Alley.

Charlie laughed and agreed with her. "I had to get special permission to take you out today, you know," he added.

Hermione just sighed. "Yes, I figured. Severus had mentioned that there's extra security on me. I'm not even allowed home for the holidays, assuming Lucius isn't stopped by then."

"Well, I must be pretty trustworthy to be allowed to take you around," Charlie said, puffing out his chest a little as he walked, making Hermione laugh.

"Sure. It has nothing to do with the fact that you're one of only 7 people, other than myself, who are aware of the problem or anything. You're right; it's your bravery," she said wryly as she stopped to look in the window of a bookstore.

Earlier in the week, after Professor Lupin had showed up, Dumbledore had filled him in on Hermione's problem, as well as Professor McGonagall. Hermione hated getting more people involved, but had to admit that she felt better not having to lie to Remus or McGonagall about her life anymore.

"Wow, you really know how to boost a man's ego, 'Mione," Charlie murmured and elbowed her, before grabbing her upper arm and dragging her away from the window display. They had been out for a couple hours now and Charlie suggested they go get some lunch. The purchases he had made were being shipped directly to the castle so they didn't have to carry them around.

They ended up going into Muggle London to eat (Charlie had also dressed in muggle attire, including a hooded sweater) and decided on a small diner. Hermione once again was surprised how easy it was to talk to Charlie.

Laughing at a joke he had made, Hermione started twirling her fork in her pasta. "You know, it was never this simple to talk to Ron," she said, bringing the forkful to her mouth.

Charlie looked a bit taken aback. "Really? You all seemed so close."

"Oh, we were," she assured him when she was finished chewing, "but more so Harry and Ron. I was just the third best friend. I could never sit and talk quidditch for hours on end like they did, and they could never sit and discuss books with me. I loved them both equally, but they were always closer to one another than to me."

"Yeah, I guess I could see that. I didn't get to see a lot of Ron's growing up since I was in Romania for so long. It's a bit regretful now, of course, but at the time it was everything I wanted," Charlie said, looking pensive, seemingly staring at a spot past Hermione. "Bill and I are about three years apart, so we went to school together. Percy and I were around three years apart, so he was also at school with me. I was also able to be at school with the twins for their first two years, since they were only two behind Percy. But Ron…Ron I never got to see much. So I wasn't really in the loop with you three."

"It wasn't your fault, really. You had your dream job," Hermione said, trying to placate him.

"Yeah, I know, but at what cost? I missed so much of Ron and Ginny's childhood that I can't get back. I can try to make it up to Ginny now, and be around for her. I live on the grounds and I constantly see her out of class, especially weekends, trying to see how she's doing or if she needs help. But I can't get that back with Ron. That's probably why I smother Ginny now."

"What could you have done though? You came by for holidays when you could, which was the only time you would've been able to see him anyway because we were at Hogwarts all year. And honestly, looking back, I think everyone was a bit out of depth when it came to advice for us. Our school years were vastly different than the years you went, or Bill or Percy or even the first two years for the twins. What would you have really been able to say or help with?" Hermione said, eating more.

"True, true," conceded Charlie, finishing the last of his sandwich.

They ate in companionable silence and as they were finishing, the waiter walked up.

"Would you or your beautiful girlfriend care for dessert?" he asked, laying on the charm thick in hopes of a tip.

Hermione and Charlie just looked at one another and started to laugh. Charlie declined and asked for the bill and five minutes later they were back out in the cold wind, both having cast silent warming charms on their person, wands concealed in their placed her hand in the nook of his arm and started to lead her back towards the Leaky Cauldron, where they then apparated back to the outer gates of Hogwarts.

Being a Sunday, there were hundreds of students everywhere on the grounds. They walked to the Quidditch pitch where groups of friends had taken to forming an impromptu Quidditch match and sat at the bottom of one of the stands to watch.

"You miss flying, don't you?" Hermione asked Charlie after a few moments. His eyes were fixed on the players, a fanatical gleam in his eyes.

"Yeah, sometimes. It's not the _flying_ I miss so much as the _game_. Well, I guess it's both. But on the occasions that Bill and I would come home for whatever reason, it would always turn into a huge quidditch game. We even got Percy to play a few times. How's Harry doing, not being on the team this year?" Charlie asked, finally looking back to Hermione as a group of giggling first year girls trooped past to sit a ways away, looking at him.

"He's fine. I think it's good that he decided not to play. He still comes out to fly, obviously, just for fun. But he's still dealing with so much. I think it's comforting for him to be able to just fly with no worries of competition."

They sat for a few more seconds, and then Charlie looked around before starting again.

"How's…your other problem?" he asked, eyeing her meaningfully.

Hermione kept her eyes averted, and looked around the pitch for a while, spotting Ginny with some friends, looking over occasionally, before finally looking at Charlie.

"It's going fine. I haven't gotten any more letters from my friend, but Severus is working hard to help me. And it's nice having you and Remus to talk to about it as well," she said, a slight smile on her face. "I still worry constantly, though," she added.

"Why? Don't you think _Severus_"- he said with a slight sneer- "can defend himself?" Charlie asked, looking at the field once more. "I know how much you _care_ for one another.

"I have the upmost confidence in Severus. I really care about him, actually. I respect him above everything, and he's already sworn that he will always be around to protect me from Malfoy; which is good, since Malfoy should remember how Severus gets when he's devoted to a task. It doesn't mean I don't fear for him though. Look what happened to my poor cat. Do you think I want to go open the door one day and see yours or Harry's or Draco's or Serverus' head in the next box? I feel guilty every day for involving anyone but myself. Especially now that Remus and Professor McGonagall are involved. If any one of you died trying to protect me from this…_maniac_…," she shook her head for a few seconds, "I would probably just do him a favor and off myself, except that he needs to be the one to do it, so it really wouldn't be a favor."

Charlie was laughing at her comment and was about to say something else when he was cut off by someone calling Hermione's name. They both looked around for the source and saw Harry zooming towards them on his broom. He startled the group of first year girls as he came down low over the stands, and landed in front of Hermione.

"Sorry…" Harry called at one of the first years who had almost toppled backwards, but not knowing her name, he looked to Hermione who mouthed "Emily" and he was able to finish his apology.

Finally, he looked at his best friend, his face thunderous. He looked even worse than he had that morning, and his frustration or anger just made it look worse.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were going to Diagon Alley? Don't you know you're in danger?" he hissed, fighting to keep his voice low, still straddling his broom.

"I got permission, Harry, calm down," Charlie said, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"From whom?" he asked sharply.

"Dumbledore. Does that suffice?" Charlie said with slight frost.

"Wait, how did you know where I was if you didn't know he got permission?" Hermione asked sharply, eyeing him.

Harry seemed to start at the question, and looked as if he were searching for a suitable answer. It seemed his reflexes weren't up to their normal standard today; she rarely caught him by surprise nowadays.

Shifting his eyes so quick it was almost unnoticeable, Harry said, "That's not important."

"I would have to disagree with you, actually," Hermione retorted, starting to get annoyed.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is-" Harry cut off suddenly and looked around, eyes wild.

"Harry…?" Hermione asked cautiously, but Harry now had his wand out and was glancing around feverishly, and seemed to be muttering to himself and twitching slightly as if trying to shake a feeling.

Hermione glanced at Charlie's wary face and saw him slowly unsheathing his own wand. She was still trying to make out what Harry was muttering. He seemed to be asking himself a question. All she could understand of it was, "Do I take her?" and "should I stay and look?" She could make neither heads nor tails of it, so she gently laid her hand on his arm.

"Harry!" she said loudly. "What's wrong?"

His eyes finally snapped to her, then at Charlie and his now exposed wand, and back to Hermione.

Suddenly, he grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her down side-saddle on his Firebolt, as she yelped in surprise. His wand was level with Charlie's face faster than Charlie could raise his. The look on Harry's face was murderous; she'd only seen it during the final battle, and it scared her. It was a look that made blood run cold.

"Don't. Even. Move," Harry said dangerously low to Charlie, and shot into the sky with Hermione clinging to him for dear life.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

"HARRY JAMES POTTER, YOU PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!" Hermione yelled over the wind. Her resident kidnapper just ignored her and seemed to urge the Firebolt to go faster.

Just as she was starting to worry more about his sanity and their destination, she felt the broom tip down and reinforced her grip on Harry, squeezing her eyes closed tight. She felt them land and slowly opened her eyes.

They were still at Hogwarts. He had only flown her to the other side and landed in front of the Transfiguration courtyard. The flight that had seemed so fast to her really _had_ been fast.

Jumping up off the broom, she turned around to face Harry who was looking around warily at the milling students, making them nervous and speed up. In one quick fluid movement, Hermione brought her hand up to smack her best friend across the face.

A mere inch or so from his cheek, however, Harry's hand shot up and grasped her wrist so tight it hurt. It seemed that whatever had gotten to Harry, his reflexes were coming back to him.

"Ow! Harry! Stop! What's your problem?" Hermione yelled, trying and failing to tug her wrist from his grasp. She brought her other hand up, but he just grabbed that as well.

Suddenly, he released her wrists, only to grasp her shoulders. His thumbs were digging painfully into the hollow of skin between the bones of her collarbone and shoulder, and she was sure she'd have bruises on the back of her shoulders from his fingers.

"WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING? WHAT HAPPENED TO BEING THE BRIGHTEST WITCH OF YOUR AGE?" Harry started shouting at her, shaking her slightly as he did so. "FOR BEING SO FUCKING SMART, YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOUR ASS KILLED!" The more he yelled the harder the shaking got, until her neck felt like it was snapping and she wondered if this was how whiplash feels.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THE USE OF US TRYING TO PROTECT YOU IF YOU'RE GOING TO RUN OFF? HUH? ANSWER ME!" he shouted. Hermione couldn't speak if she wanted to, unless she wanted to risk biting her tongue off.

All of a sudden, she heard an angry bellow from her left towards the entrance and Harry was flung backwards, away from Hermione, and letting go in the process so rapidly that she fell forward onto her knees.

Tears of anger, pain, and confusion were coursing down Hermione's face when a pair of strong arms lifted her up like she weighed nothing and cradled her against a hard chest.

"Levitate _that_ inside and follow me. Down to my office; we'll _enerverate_ him there," said a deep baritone, and Hermione looked up at Severus' face. He had a wild angry look in his eyes as he glanced over her, and then he swept away as she closed her eyes, silent tears still coming.

She heard footsteps following Snape as they made their way inside. She wondered how peculiar they must look; the dreaded Potions Master holding a seemingly unconscious Head Girl (with tear tracks) that he's supposedly seeing romantically followed by someone levitating a stunned Boy-Who-Lived. That was the only assumption she could come up with when he said "_that._"

Their footsteps were clacking on the stone of the dungeons when Hermione heard another familiar voice.

"Ah, Severus, you found them. Professor Weasley just informed me that Ms. Granger was taken from him by Harry. What happened?" Dumbledore said, sounding grave.

"I haven't the slightest, Headmaster. All we saw was _Mister_ Potter here physically abusing Hermione," Snape answered snidely.

"How so?"

"He was shaking her like a doll; I'm surprised the girl doesn't have a broken neck."

She heard him murmur some words which must have dropped his wards and then they were all in. Snape laid her onto what felt like a soft couch, then got up and walked away. He was back moments later and she heard the clinking of bottles before she felt his rough, calloused hands brush the hair gently from her eyes.

"Hermione."

Opening her eyes a crack, she saw Snape's face level with her own.

"Severus," she replied, and the corners of his lips tipped up.

"Is there anything on you that hurts other than your neck?" he asked.

"My shoulders and my back; it's where he was grabbing."

"I'm going to need you to drink this potion. It should set right any bones or muscles that might've been jarred. After, we can get to healing the bruises," he said, and helped tip the potion into her mouth.

"Can you sit up?" he asked when the potion was downed.

Nodding slightly because of her sore neck, Hermione pushed herself into a sitting position and cried out in pain when her upper arms and shoulders protested in the weight she made them support. When she was fully up, Snape started rummaging through a case of potions as Draco stepped up to cast a medical scan on her.

"This is like déjà vu, except I believe I was doing this to _you_ only two days ago," she murmured as he smirked. "When did you get out?"

"I busted free less than an hour ago. That's when _this_ idiot"- he jerked his head towards the suspended Harry- "decided to go crazy."

"What _happened _to him?" Hermione asked in a hushed, disbelieving voice.

"Actually, Ms. Granger, we were hoping you would be able to tell us," said Dumbledore, peering at the still floating, and apparently unconscious or unawares, Harry.

"I don't know! He just…CRACKED! I was with Charlie out by the quidditch field, just talking, and then he was there. He swooped in, almost taking out a first year actually, and then just started…_bitching_ at me. He said I should've told someone I went to Diagon Alley instead of just leaving, and then we started to argue about _how_ he even knew where I was. I was getting rather upset, because he knew where I had been, yet I never told him. And if you had told him, Professor Dumbledore, I would assume that he wouldn't have been upset."

"Maybe we should let Harry tell us what happened," Dumbledore said, looking at Snape who rolled his eyes and pointed his wand at Harry. Her friend fell to the ground, and instantly sprang back up, eyes darting everywhere, pointing his fist around. He seemed to have momentarily forgotten he had been disarmed.

"Harry! Calm down," Dumbledore said in a serious, commanding voice. Slowly, the crazed light in Harry's eyes seemed to dim, and he staggered a bit as he lowered his empty hand, and fell into an armchair that Dumbledore had conjured behind him.

Draco stepped up automatically and started running a scan on him.

"He's _exhausted!_" Draco exclaimed as he concentrated on the results. "These vitals make it seem as if he hasn't slept in _days_."

"What's going on?" Harry asked groggily, looking at the occupants in the room tiredly. That is, of course, until his eyes fell on Hermione. At once, he was on his feet again.

"Headmaster! Someone was spying on Hermione!" Harry yelled, spinning to face Dumbledore.

"Harry, calm down. Sit, and tell us what happened," was all Dumbledore said, peering at Harry with a somewhat worried look. "Severus, get Mr. Potter a Pepper-up potion, will you?"

Harry sat and downed the small bottle in less than a second, eager to talk to Dumbledore.

"I went looking for Hermione, and when I found her, I felt it. I felt the spell. Someone was listening in on her. It had to have been the spy!"

"What do you mean you _felt_ it, Potter?" Snape spat at Harry, a look of deep loathing on his face.

"I can't explain it, _Professor_; I can just feel when there's spells used around me. It came in handy during the years preceding the battle; I knew when people were trying to Disillusion themselves, or _muffliato_ their conversations. And I KNOW I felt something out there. Someone was listening to Hermione and Charlie," Harry said.

"So why in the world would you attempt to attack Charlie?" Hermione said exasperatedly.

"I didn't attack him," Harry said, sounding defensive.

"You pointed your wand at his face, level with his eyes, and threatened him not to move, Harry. That's attempting to attack," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I had to be sure," he replied, somewhat still defensively, crossing his arms.

"Be sure of what, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"That it wasn't Charlie! I mean, he runs off with her knowing she's in danger, not even bothering to take a second guard, and then unsheathes his wand. Which he did first, may I add," Harry said.

"Oh come off it! You think _Charlie_ is the spy, working for Lucius? You really do need some sleep," she shot back.

"Who else was on the field, Harry?" Draco asked.

Refusing to look his direction, Harry replied, "I'm not sure; I had to get Hermione away from there, didn't I? I wanted to look, but her safety won out."

"Sure, you're all about her safety," Snape said derisively.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry shot back, standing up again.

"It means that you claim to care about your friend's 'safety', yet you abuse her like a drunken husband!" Snape snapped back at him.

"What the hell are you on about?" Harry started walking towards Snape, but Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder, restraining him.

"Severus…Harry...," Dumbledore said in a warning tone.

"No, Headmaster, I believe that _Mister Potter_ here should see his handy work. Unfortunately, we've already healed her internally, so we can't show those scans. How about you look at your _friend_ and see the bruises you left on her!" Snape nearly yelled.

Harry's eyes, wide with fear and apprehension, slowly slid to where Hermione sat. She pulled the sleeve from her shoulder down, and underneath were a medley of bruises dusting her skin.

Harry made an odd choking sound and walked slowly towards her. When he reached her side, he knelt in front of her and stared, transfixed, at the discolorations as if by staring at them he could make them disappear.

He slowly reached his hand out and, one by one, started to line his thumb and fingers up with the bruises. He only got two on, however, before he was pulled roughly to his feet and was slammed into a wall, an arm under his throat and grabbing his shirt to hold him up, and a wand pointed at his temple.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" It was Snape.

"Severus!" Dumbledore yelled. "Put him DOWN!"

Snape, however, seemed to beyond reaching with words. As Harry slowly started to resemble a smurf in color, Snape pushed his wand harder against him.

"You will NEVER touch her again, do you understand?" Snape yelled.

Before Harry had a chance to attempt an answer, Snape's hands flew off of him as though shocked, and Harry fell, slumped, to the floor. Both Draco and Dumbledore had their wands pointed at Snape, and Dumbledore had an uncommonly stern look on.

"Severus…," he began, but Snape cut him off.

"I know, Headmaster. I apologize. However, I don't regret it."

Harry started coughing and Draco ran and knelt at his side as he started yet another scan. After a few moments, Harry stood up and looked at Dumbledore.

"I don't regret it either; I deserved that. No; I deserved worse," Harry said in a croaky, raw voice. He looked at Hermione and his eyes shone with unshed tears. "Hermione, I love you. I'm so, so, SO sorry. I don't even remember doing it. That's no excuse, I know. But it won't happen again."

"You better believe it won't!" Snape said, but was silenced by a look from the Headmaster.

Hermione just nodded. A small silence followed as everyone tried to organize their thoughts after the last event.

"Ok, so, we know the spy was outside. That doesn't surprise me, since we know they're at Hogwarts. But it makes me nervous that they were so close to Hermione. I think it was smart to get Hermione out of there, even if it was done in a slightly, uh, unconventional way," Draco finally said.

"I'd still like to know how Harry knew where I was, when obviously no one told him," Hermione said, slightly glaring at Harry.

A short silence followed her open question, with Harry looking around the room and Snape suddenly becoming interested in the vials he was still holding, until Draco stepped forward slightly and gave a soft cough.

"Well, I…uh…I know how he knew where you were. It's the same way that I knew where you were, that you were in trouble, and the reason I was ok with letting you walk back to the rooms last night by yourself," he said, cheek tops tinged slightly pink.

"And _how_, exactly, is that?" she asked.

"Well -don't get mad now- but I may have slipped a hidden tracking charm on you," he said sheepishly.

"You _WHAT_?"

"Might as well come completely clean, Draco," Snape muttered, and smacked the back of his head when he still refused to talk.

"Wait…_you_ knew as well?" Hermione said accusingly, looking at Snape.

"Of course; I was one of the first that Draco told," Snape replied. "Well, other than Potter, who has the other one."

"The other _what_, exactly?" Hermione asked, voice slightly rising. Harry, Draco, and Snape's eyes all flashed to her necklace and back up.

"MY _NECKLACE?"_ she screeched.

"Yes, and it was actually a smart idea and a complex spell, Hermione. Our bracelets are the receptors of it," Harry said, coming to the defense of Draco, who stood a little taller at this.

"Hermione, you told me I could!" Draco said to her.

"I did no such thing!"

"Yes! Yes you did! Before the masque, when you wanted Harry and me to leave you behind, you told me to put a tracking charm on you so I would know where you were! And, well, it got me thinking that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, especially after you spent the night at Charlie's that time and we couldn't find you."

"I meant that as a joke, and only for that night!"

"Well, it was still a good idea, and I'm not going to apologize for it!"

"Well, you can damn well remove it now!"

"No." Draco crossed him arms, and shrugged.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Hermione said dangerously.

"I mean, no. I worked too hard on it. And you're blowing this out of proportion. You're getting worked into a huff because you think it's some invasion of your privacy. The only reason I care where you go is because there happens to be a mad man on the loose, and he just so happens to want you. I'm not sure if you forgot that while you got yourself riled up in your self-righteous speech. You may have forgotten that there's a guy who wants to _kill_ you. And not just _kill_ you, but _brutally murder you during a vicious sacrifice_," Draco spit at her, arms still crossed, eyes narrowed.

"Mr. Malfoy-," the Headmaster began in a soft voice but Snape cut him off.

"No, Albus; let Draco finish. I believe this is what Ms. Granger _needs_ to hear."

It didn't seem to matter anyway, for it looked as if Draco had only paused to take a deep, steadying breath.

"You don't know what work I put into that charm. It's not a normal charm, Hermione. It can tell me where you are if I want to know, but it will also alert me if you're in danger. How do you think we found you so fast? The moment Harry had you on his broom I was alerted of a dramatic change. It alerts me if there are any mega changes. It told me today that you were going to Diagon Alley. It may very well _save your life_ & you're mad I didn't tell you? Of course I didn't! Look how you're reacting! You do this about everything! Don't look at me like that! You did it with that stupid house elf campaign as well! You never stop to look at the big picture! This isn't your muggle world anymore, Hermione! We live differently here. Have you forgotten how horrible my dad is! Do you need to see some reminders?"

At this he pulled up his left shirt sleeve and stuck his arm viciously in Hermione's face. She visibly paled and winced, automatically recoiling from the ugly burn.

"Or maybe you should see these!" Draco Vanished his shirt with his wand and turned in front of Hermione. Here and there, all over his body, were deep, healed scars and marks, the worst on his back.

"This is what Lucius does Hermione; except for you it will be 100 times worse because you _won't _survive!"

"Ok, I get it, whatever," Hermione said quietly, looking anywhere but at Draco. The only eyes that were on Draco were a pair of brilliantly green ones, regarding the blonde in sadness.

"No, Hermione, you don't. If you _got _it, we wouldn't be having this argument. If you _got _it, you would be looking me in the eye. But you don't _get_ it," Draco said in a low voice, visibly shaking slightly. "And I doubt you ever will. We're all committed to saving your life; why aren't you?"

For that, Hermione seemed to have no retort. Draco had managed what many would've loved to do for many years: render Hermione Granger speechless.

Draco transfigured a pencil from Snape's desk into a new shirt, and stalked out of the office. It was quiet for a few minutes while Snape mixed up a new potion and Dumbledore tapped each of Hermione's bruises with his wand, making them disappear.

"Potter," Snape said, and Harry's head snapped back to Snape's. Before that, Harry had been staring at the door that Draco walked out of. "Bring these two potions to my godson; Poppy gave them to him when he was released. He knows when to take them. And for god's sake, get some damned sleep."

"Yes, sir," Harry mumbled as he took the potions. He spared Hermione one last look and slight wave, and then he left.

"I should be going as well. Professor Weasley will want to know that Ms. Granger was not kidnapped very far," Dumbledore said as he finished Vanishing all traces of bruising from Hermione's skin.

For a few minutes after Dumbledore left, the room was quiet; the silence broken only by the tinkle of glass bottles as Snape cleaned up his potions and left to put them up. When he came back, he lit a fire in the fireplace and stood in front of it, seemingly deep in thought.

"How are you feeling?" he finally asked; his voice cut through the silence like a whip.

"Better. And worse, all at the same time," she said, looking down at her hands.

"Draco was right, you know," he told her, still staring into the fire.

"Yes, and I get that, but I still don't think I did anything wrong today. The headmaster knew where I was," she replied defiantly.

He spun around to face her, and regarded her for a few moments. She couldn't place the look in his eyes; it seemed foreign even to himself. "That's not the point. He's still correct, and although I would love to strangle Potter, he's also correct. You need to be more careful."

"I hate being locked up and watched constantly though," she half whined.

"I have no patience for whining, and I assure you that no one else will either. In fact, try to whine like that to your best friend. How long was Potter watched and locked away?"

She sat for a few moments and then rose to leave. "I should finish my Potions essay, and I have some more reading for Professor McGonagall as well. Thank you for today."

She was almost to the door when his voice cut out across the room again.

"You will not remove that necklace, understand?"

Hesitating slightly at the door, she turned her head halfway to glance at him and gave a sharp nod before leaving.

XXX

After spending a couple hours hidden away in the library reading, Hermione got back to the room to find Harry passed out on their commons room couch with his head in Draco's lap. Draco was stroking Harry's hair and there were dried tear tracks on both men's faces.

"Hey…," she half whispered.

He looked up and gave her a watery smile.

"Hey yourself," he said. Nodding in Harry's direction he said, "Don't worry about waking him. He's pretty much out. He hasn't been sleeping well."

"Did you find out what was up with him?"

"Yeah. He came to find me on Severus' orders to give me my medicine and we got to talking. Took a bit, but we got there. He was still on a adrenaline high from the Pepper-Up, and everything that happened seemed to have woken him up."

"So…what was his deal?" she asked.

Draco pursed his lips for a few moments in thought and brought both hands up and interlaced his fingers behind his head. Finally, he began to talk. "He hasn't been sleeping for a few days; since a day or so before we had the fight. Apparently, he has also gotten a few letters." At her alarmed expression, he continued before she could speak. "He doesn't know who they're from. The handwriting isn't familiar, and he never sees what bird delivers them. We think someone may have put a charm on the handwriting so it's untraceable. We aren't ruling out Lucius…but we're not ruling out anyone else either."

"What did they say that was so horrible they made him unable to sleep?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Draco's eyes cut to the table where a few pieces of parchment she hadn't noticed before were lying. Hesitating slightly, hands faintly trembling, she picked them up. There were three:

HP,

Who would've thought that the Boy-Who-Lived would live to be a fag…Is this really what people died for? Is that seed of a monster really _that_ important to you?

Boy- Who- Lived,

You should be ashamed. You and that Death Eater's spawn should go drown yourselves. Maybe the water will wash away your filth and leave him dead, or maybe you'll both die. It's a win-win for the wizarding world.

The Gay One,

Maybe it's a good thing that your Weasley friend died. I think if The Dark Lord didn't finish him off, you would've when he found out. Heroes aren't faggots, Potter. You think anyone will listen to you when this gets out? And trust me, it will. It's going to fall on the shoulders of that mudblood friend of yours and your faggoty Death Eater progeny. You think you saved them during the war? What do you think will happen when this gets out? The world will blame them; the public always finds ways of blaming others. I, for one, think it will be an improvement. You'll soon be next, Potter. Good thing your parents got killed so they didn't have to do it themselves when they finally learned this.

Hermione just sat in stunned silence for a few minutes while digesting the words she just read. How dare someone make Harry feel this way? After all he's been through he deserves to choose whoever makes him happy! She voiced as much to Draco.

"Don't you think I told him the same thing?" he said vehemently.

"Of course you did; sorry. It just upsets me so much. That's ridiculous. And of course it's in true Harry fashion to ignore me and severe ties with you. To him this would be for the best so we don't get hurt. Oh Harry…" Hermione said, shaking her head sadly while staring at the raven haired boy.

"Yep. So we had a long talk about it. It basically turned into one big free-for-all confessional. I was actually starting to tell him what I told you in the hospital, but I stopped," he told her, looking at Harry once more.

"Why? I think he needed to hear that," she told him.

"I didn't have to tell him; he already knew. I told him I was going to start calling him Creeper from now on," he half laughed. At her confused expression, he elaborated. "He was there, in the hospital wing under his damned cloak almost the whole time."

"I _thought_ I felt someone watching me when I woke up, but I just figured it was you!"

"Nope, that was Creeper here. Apparently, he went to go see you about 30 minutes after we fought and saw the room was empty and in pieces and there was blood. Naturally, he freaked out and thought something happened to you so he used his bracelet and saw you were in the hospital wing. He put his cloak on so he could run there without attracting too many stares and then he said that when he saw me laying there, his heart stopped. You guys were just barely finishing working on me so your attention was elsewhere. And he stayed…the whole night. And he heard us talk. Then, when you left, he stayed again. I remember thinking I was going to have a horrible night of sleep, but for some reason I was very calm." He smiled slightly.

"I saw him at breakfast and he looked horrible," she said, laughing a little.

"Yeah, he had just left. He figured it would be weird if he was absent and wanted everyone in the Hall to see him, alone, in case the letter sender was there. But when he left, he came straight back here. Except, I guess he left to go looking for you. He wondered why you weren't huddled by my sickbed. After walking around the entire grounds, he started getting edgy and _finally _remembered the bracelet I worked so hard on. He saw you were in Diagon Alley and freaked. I'm surprised he didn't try to fly there himself. You must've been just leaving, though, because it wasn't long before he had you in the air. He came running into the hospital wing blabbering about Charlie kidnapping you and spies everywhere," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Poor guy really needed his rest."

"Wow, that's crazy. So did you both make up then?"

Draco smiled down at the head of hair he had resumed stroking. "Yeah, something like that. In exchange for his big secrets, I told him one of mine. And after that, it just snowballed and...you know…I think we're going to be ok."

"Do I get to know your secret?" Hermione asked too innocently.

Still smiling slightly, Draco regarded her for a few moments. "You might as well, since he does. It's not huge. I just finally told him about the task that I was assigned to make me leave Voldemort."

"Which was…?" Hermione said after he was silent for a few seconds.

"Harry." The name was simple, but said with so much passion behind it that it made Hermione almost jealous and longing for half of what he felt. "Voldemort wanted Harry. He wanted me to kidnap him and bring him to his feet. He thought he was giving me a treat; kept going through ideas of what I could do to him. He wanted him beat and broken when I finally delivered him. I guess he was tired of Harry always being able to escape. He wanted you and Ron dead, and he wanted me to almost kill Harry. And I knew, even then, that I couldn't."

"Oh, Draco…that's horrible. I'm sorry," Hermione said.

"Don't be; I'm not. It was my breaking point and I wish it would've come sooner. But I knew that I would rather die than to do that. After I left the meeting and was on my way to Hogwarts, I tried to tell myself the reason was because I _knew_ if I did it, then I would be single-handedly giving Voldemort the tools to take over. Of course, when I got to Dumbledore and he put me under Veritaserum, it came out. Have you ever taken it? It's odd. You have no control over what you say and as you're saying shit, you hear yourself say it. It's a trip. You find out truths you've been burying for a long time. And I heard myself say that I couldn't hurt Harry and that I would rather die," he finished, shrugging.

They sat for a few more moments in silence before Hermione finally got up and headed to her room. As she got to her door, she paused and turned to look at Draco.

"Hey, Draco…," he turned he head sideways to look at her. "Thank you; for everything." She tried to put as much gratitude into her sentence that she could.

Draco gave her a beaming smile. "You're welcome, Hermione."


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

"I'm _starving_," Harry whined the next Friday as the three friends made the trek to dinner. He had been saying it every 15 minutes for almost the last hour.

"_HARRY_," Draco snapped, "we get it. You're famished and wasting away into nothing. However, we _needed_ to train and study. Or have you given up hope of turning into an aardvark or panda or maybe a whale; I hear they eat a lot."

"Besides, dinner is about to start," Hermione cut in as her best friend sent a heated look at the blonde. The two men had been toeing around one another since their talk, both trying to find the ground the other was comfortable with. It had basically gone back to before Harry had the letters, which Hermione had confronted him about. As predicted, he had done it for reasons that seemed noble to him and when he had finally gotten some sleep (for almost 12hours straight) he had become irritated with himself as well. He had apologized to both friends.

It looked like Harry was about to retort something to Draco but stopped as they walked into the Great Hall. There was an extra table between the house tables and the staff table, and it lay parallel with the staff table instead of with the house ones. The three friends looked at one another confusedly, and Draco rolled his eyes and shrugged, and they parted ways to sit at their respective houses.

"Hey Harry!" Ginny said brightly, giving him her best glowing smile.

"Hey Gin," Harry replied, nodding at her before turning his attention to the front of the hall, where Dumbledore had just stood up.

"Good evening! I know you are all hungry, but before we eat I want to make an announcement. Many of you are probably wondering about the new table addition. I've decided that with all of the returning students, and all of the regular students, the house tables are quite full. Therefore, if you are a _returning_ student who is redoing your 7th year that got interrupted, you will now sit at this table. If you are in 7th year and you're _supposed_ to be in 7th year at this time, you will remain at your house table. Please move now. There will be no need to sit by house; just all sit together."

Hermione and Harry looked at each other and shrugged, then got up and moved. Draco had gravitated over to where his two friends were and they all sat down in the middle of the table facing the students with their backs to the staff, Draco in the middle of Hermione and Harry.

"There! That seems to clear up more room. This will be recognized as the 'senior' table. The 'seniors' will now have an extended curfew until midnight, since they are all now adults. However, you will still sleep where you normally do, and you're still a part of your respective houses so you still can earn and lose house points. Right, now let us eat!"

Food appeared on the table and Harry's eyes had taken on a twinkle to rival Dumbledore's as he stared at the spread before him.

Draco gave a dramatic sigh. "If you only looked at me that way," he said. Hermione laughed as Harry attempted to give Draco both a sarcastic and sympathetic look at the same time. The attempt was ruined by the bulging of his food stuffed cheeks, however.

"Wow, so this is how it feels to eat like a one of the professors. No wonder Severus was able to catch anything we did; you can see everything," Draco said as he observed the hall over his pumpkin juice.

"This is a nice idea. Those tables _were_ getting awfully crowded. And now we can sit together, as well," Hermione said as she began to load her plate.

"True. It's odd being hated by most people in your house, especially when last time I was at school, most of them loved me," Draco conceded.

"Yeah, been there; it's no fun," Harry said darkly as he stabbed at his food. Draco just shoved him with his shoulder and ducked his head slightly, cheeks tinged pink when Harry gave him a cute smile and shoved him back.

They ate for about 15 minutes until Draco, studying a piece of chicken on his fork, said conversationally, "So is there a reason for Ginny to be shooting daggers at us, or is this normal Gryffindor dinner behavior?"

Both Hermione and Harry looked up in time to see Ginny turn her attention back to her food.

Draco sighed. "Honestly, you two have no subtlety at all."

"It's because of Harry," Hermione said and shrugged as she continued to eat.

"What about me?" Harry looked honestly confused.

"Obviously she's still crazy about you," Draco said, narrowing his eyes a bit towards the redhead.

"I thought that was over back in 4th year!"

"Well apparently not, Harry," Hermione told him. "In fact, the day I went with Charlie I had asked her that morning if she was still after you and she got very defensive."

"But she's…she's like my sister!" Harry sputtered.

"Yes, but she doesn't know that. She's always been captivated by you; I was hoping years ago that it would fade," Hermione said.

"We've gotten pretty close this year when I finally started talking to her again, but I don't think I ever led her on!"

"No one thinks you did, Harry. It's ok; she'll get over it," Hermione laughed.

"Well, at the very least I would've thought she'd have caught on about me in these last months," Harry said.

"Caught on to you how?" Draco asked amusedly.

"Well, you know…"

"Nope; I have no idea. Enlighten us," Draco said, visibly having fun.

"I just figured that she would've noticed that I was happier, and maybe would've led her to other things," Harry replied, nervously fidgeting with his fork. Hermione was torn between amusement and sympathy for her friend.

"What kind of thoughts could she _possibly_ get to from you being _happy_?" Draco asked, raising one eyebrow.

"That, you know…I'm a…well, that I like…that I…," Harry's face turned red as he tried to say the words he wished to.

"That you fly for the opposite team?" Draco said, absolute glee evident on his face. "That you prefer pecs over breasts?" Draco was clearly enjoying watching Harry turn redder and redder. "That your broomstick would rather be in company with another? That you-"

"THAT I'M GAY!" Harry said quite loudly out of frustration. It was clearly louder than intended, because his eyes got wide as he froze…as did nearly everyone in the hall. Soon, there was no noise, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath waiting for what would come next.

Surprising everyone, including Hermione and Draco, Harry collected himself and appeared indifferent to his surroundings as he calmly went back to eating.

Draco collected himself almost as fast. "Oh ok, just wondering. I thought that was what you meant, but I wanted to be sure."

Harry seemed determined to ignore the twitters around him, and looked at Draco. "Hey love, pass me that flagon of pumpkin juice, would you?"

Hermione thought it must've taken a herculean effort for Draco not to show surprise by Harry, and passed the pitcher without word, just smiling.

"Thanks hun," Harry said as he took the pitcher, leaned over and then gave Draco a swift, but still somehow passionate, peck on the lips. It was the kind of kiss that was obviously familiar. Many occupants of the hall gave a gasp.

Draco broke into a huge grin as he blushed, and reached over to brush some stray hair out of Harry's eyes before going back to eating himself. Wanting to help show a united front, Hermione picked up her fork and started talking to the boys about their latest Defense class they had had.

One by one, people started going back to their dinners, albeit talking much louder and throwing furtive glances at the trio. Hermione didn't even dare to look to where Ginny sat, but could swear she felt the burning of her stare.

Draco seemed oblivious to everything around him as he ate happily. She knew he must be feeling elated; not only did Harry finally admit to himself (and others) that he was gay, but he had openly showed affection for Draco. She was so proud of Harry and so happy for her two friends.

Soon, the friends were done and they rose to join the other people that had started leaving the hall. More stares and whispers followed them as they stood up and Hermione wished that they weren't in the front of the hall.

Harry, however, took it all in stride. He laced his fingers in with Draco's and started to walk with his head high out of the hall. Draco had years of arrogance practice, so it was easy for him to also walk calmly and act indifferent. Hermione just walked on the other side of Harry like normal.

They had just exited the hall when they heard Harry's name being called from behind. They turned to see Dean Thomas walking towards them, with Seamus in tow.

"Hey, Harry, I just wanted to say that what you did was awesome. It was really brave," Dean said when he got to them.

"Yeah, that was really cool," Seamus agreed.

"Thanks. It wasn't how I pictured it happening, but it needed to happen at some point," Harry said.

"True. Well, I just wanted to say that we're behind you 100%," Dean said and, surprising everyone, stuck out his hand to Draco first.

"Thanks, man," Draco said with obvious relief.

Seamus clapped both men's hands and then the two friends departed for Gryffindor tower.

"They're totally gay!" Draco said, his eyes wide.

"What?" said Harry, laughing.

"I'm serious! Look how close they walk, and how accepting they were. And they basically only danced with one another at the masque," Draco said as they started walking again.

"Well, the best to them if they are then," Harry said as he shrugged.

When they walked into Draco and Hermione's quarters, Harry flopped down on the couch.

"Hey, you guys, I want to apologize," he said.

"What for?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"I shouldn't have done it like that; I put both of you in the spotlight. And those letters did freak me out, and I just don't want you two getting hurt," Harry said, head in his hands.

Unsurprisingly, it was Draco who was first over to the couch to comfort Harry. He put his hand on his back and rubbed it.

"Don't be stupid, Harry," he said. "It was going to come out eventually, and I don't mind that you practically outed me as well; that was bound to come out too."

"Oh shit, Draco! I didn't even think of that! I'm sorry…again!"

"Harry, seriously, I don't care. If I could've chosen how to come out in front of a large crowd of judging peers that have all hated me at some point, I definitely would've chosen it to be by your side," Draco said, dipping his head a bit to bump foreheads lightly with Harry.

Harry blushed at Draco's statement, but looked thrilled. He looked uneasily at Hermione.

"Hermione…I put you in the middle of something that isn't your problem and-"

"You can stop there, Harry. First, I don't care as well, although I don't think I can make the same declaration as our friend here." Draco smirked at her. "Second, it's not a _problem_; it's who you are, and I love who you are. And third, it_is_ mine, partly, because we're part of each other's lives. So suck it up," she finished.

Harry just laughed. "Yes, ma'am. Ok, I think I'm going to call it an early night. I'm going to finish up those chapters that McGonagall gave us, and I still haven't finished the Potions essay."

"You could finish them here. I'm probably going to be up revising my essay, and going over the chapters as well," Hermione said.

Draco nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I need to finish revising an essay for Muggle Studies anyway."

"Thanks, but no. I know that I won't get as much work done if I stay here; I'll get too distracted," Harry laughed, and blushed slightly. With that being said, he gave Draco a hug and a quick kiss, and then hugged Hermione before donning his invisibility cloak so he wouldn't have to deal with people on his way back.

A few moments passed after he left, and then Draco said, "Well, that was eventful wasn't it?"

The two friends just laughed and started their homework.

XXX

_God, I hope Potter knows what he's in for_, thought Snape as he walked back to his chambers. The scene from dinner was permanently etched in his mind. Try as he might, he couldn't stop seeing Potter leaning over and _kissing_Draco. He knew they liked one another, but that didn't mean he wanted to _see_ it.

_It took some balls though, I'll give him that_.

Striding into his private quarters, Snape warded his door and went to his liquor cabinet. He pulled out some very old, very nice scotch and went to sit in his favorite chair by the fire.

It was Friday night, which meant he could get piss drunk if he wanted to. And he wanted to. The last month or so had been hellish. First, with the masque, and then with the fiasco in his chambers with Hermione; after that it had snowballed. They had to let the Weasley teacher in on the problem, he couldn't stop thinking about Hermione, Draco went to the hospital wing, he couldn't stop thinking about Hermione, Potter went crazy, he still kept thinking about Hermione, and then Potter had hurt her.

_That_ had made Severus' vision go red. When Potter had tried to touch her once more, Severus had acted without thought; he knew the boy meant no harm but he couldn't stop himself.

So they had finally got that settled with, only to come to find that _Potter_ was now getting cryptic letters, he couldn't stop thinking about Hermione, and now Potter had openly come out in the middle of dinner whilst also dragging an non-reluctant Draco with him. Oh, and he also kept thinking wholly inappropriate thoughts of Hermione.

_She's of age_, his mind told him as he sipped his scotch.

_She's a STUDENT_, he argued back with himself.

_She's a returning student. Even Dumbledore made it clear that he thinks of them less as students as a whole, and more of just 'continuing learners',"_he shot back at himself.

Snape rolled his eyes at himself and settled more comfortably into his chair. It was a moot point to him anyway; she didn't reciprocate any feelings. She just thought she did.

Snape poured himself more scotch as he thought back to the day in his chambers. _She didn't know who she was dealing with_, he thought.

He kept refilling his glass as he replayed the scene in his rooms over and over.

_She just thought she wanted it,_ he thought. _Good thing I'm so strong…she was playing with fire and didn't even know it_. He took a nice swig from the bottle.

_Although_, he thought, and grinned evilly albeit drunkenly, _it would've been fun to see how far she was willing. She's probably used to boys; I would've opened her eyes. Yes,_that_would've been an experience._

At that thought, Snape knew he was piss drunk like he had hoped for but realized it didn't free him from his thoughts as much as he would've liked.

In fact, to his surprise and almost disgust, he was getting quite aroused by his own perverted thoughts.

_Great. I'm only happy Dumbledore isn't here; he sees through me like glass. This would be odd to explain to him: 'Hey Albus, just sitting here thinking of ways I can get Ms. Granger into my bed. You_did_say to play the part convincingly, didn't you?_ Snape chuckled at his own thoughts. But he knew what Albus would say of course. He knew he'd look straight through him with those piercing eyes and ask something like, "_Ah, Severus…are you actually playing a part, though?"_

Snape didn't have an answer to his own thoughts, and spent the rest of the evening ignoring his own mind.

XXX

Hermione's eyes flew open. She lay on her bed breathing quite hard for a few minutes trying to collect her thoughts. Her head turned to the side to look at the wall clock and groaned; it was 5 in the morning. Too early to be awake, but too late for her to attempt to get back to sleep now that she was up.

_Not that it matters anyway_, she thought. _After_that _dream, I wouldn't have been able to go back to sleep even if it was 2 in the morning_.

She never was able to sleep after getting woken up by dreams; she had learned that well after the battle when her mind had been plagued with nightmares. But this hadn't been a nightmare; no, this had been something different altogether.

She sat up and decided to take a bath; the tossing and turning combined with the dream had left her restless and sweaty. She grabbed the necessities and walked to her bathroom connected to her room.

Even if the Head student's quarters had been completely ugly, her bathroom would've made up for it. It was like the prefect bathroom, except all to her.

Hermione undressed as the tub filled with warm bubbly water, and sighed as she sank down into it. Lazily, she stretched out and sat back against a slanted portion of the tub meant to be like a lounger.

In the solitude of the bathroom, however, she couldn't escape her traitorous thoughts which refused to stay in the present. She closed her eyes as she relaxed, attempting to remember as much of it as she could.

_She was being chased; she knew she was by the fear she felt as she ran. In the back of her mind, she knew who she was running from but when she would turn to look behind her, the thing that was following was too blurry to see; it wouldn't show her a defined picture. But behind her assailant was a wall of darkness that was following, and she knew that whatever happened, she did_not_want to be caught in the dark. So she ran. And she ran._

_In her mind, she knew that screaming would do no good. Something was telling her that whatever was happening was supposed to. In her head she saw flashes of the castle, of Gryffindor colors, of Harry seething as he rhetorically asked if they could trust anyone now. She saw people's faces in her head as she ran: Ginny, Harry, Lupin, first years, Charlie, Draco, students, Dumbledore, Snape. She knew she had to protect everyone from whatever was chasing her. Whatever it was, it was after her and she couldn't let it hurt her friends, or the innocent students at school. She was determined to give these first years a normal year; not one like her own had been._

_Hermione heard a loud BOOM! and turned to look behind her. The black wall and indistinct figure had collided with another powerful stature and were now fighting for control._

_Somehow, incredibly, the newest one seemed to win out and Hermione stopped running as she saw the indistinct figure slink away backwards, warning that it would be back. She felt safe and relieved of the newest presence but couldn't explain why._

_The figure stalked over to her and she held her ground. Her whole body felt warm. As it neared, she threw caution to the wind and ran at him; she couldn't justify her need to be near this man, for she knew in her heart it was a man. Just as she reached him, he held out his arms and picked her up as he swung her around like she weighed almost nothing._

_As he set her back down, he reached for her face with one large hand. It was calloused and strong, and lifted her chin without meeting reluctance. Her body was on fire now; a warm tingle had started in the pit of her stomach and seemed to be moving outward. Something about this man was turning her on incredibly. She became frustrated by the slow pace and eagerly went on her toes (for she realized he was much taller than her) and captured his mouth in a bruising kiss._

_Instead of pulling away like she had feared he would, the man only clutched her to him tighter. There were hands everywhere; in hair and on clothes, clawing and attempting to tear away. As her rescuer picked her up to deepen the kiss, she wrapped her legs around his torso in a style that seemed almost familiar._

_Tongues were dueling, dominating for control. As she broke away for air, he moved down to her neck and started biting. For reasons she couldn't explain, she felt the need to laugh. Something was tearing at her memory: she had a vague impression of a vampire joke and then she lost control of thoughts as his mouth found a spot on her neck that made her cry out._

"_Thank you," she panted, not sure why she was thanking him, but only knowing she felt like she had to, although she knew it would never be enough. "Thank you for being there."_

_The man pulled away from her neck and raised his head to look her in the eye._

"_Always," he said, and she stared at him, determined to make him come into focus. There was something about him that made her never want to let go, and she was resolute on finding who it was._

_As she stared into his eyes, she had the curious sensation of falling as if through a tunnel. She stared into dark; it was his eyes that seemed almost as black as night._

Hermione's eyes flew open once more, as she lay in the tub. The water was lukewarm, so she tapped the tub with her wand, and it immediately reheated itself.

When it was fully warm again, Hermione groaned and started to slide down farther into the tub. Yes, she knew who the dream was about now. There's no mistaking those eyes.

And with her mind drifting off to wonder about her Potions Master, Hermione closed her eyes and sank underwater, wasting as much time as she could escaping the truth she wouldn't admit.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

"Merlin's cuticle, woman!" Snape snapped in exasperation at Hermione. "You're barking mad, I swear it."

"Oh come ON! You're going to tell me that you don't see the comparison between the two?" Hermione shot back.

It was now almost two weeks into December; almost a full month had passed since the Charlie/Diagon Alley incident. No new letter had come from Lucius, so he was either plotting something or his spy had a lot of homework and couldn't be bothered. Hermione had noticed some tension in the air when she had arrived for her one-on-one potions lesson after the night she had the dream. She didn't know why _he_ was so tense; she was the one who couldn't stop thinking about her professor. After that day, however, they seemed to melt back into a routine and even started getting back the almost familiarity they had shared during the long hours working together during the war. He started scheduling lessons often, instead of just once or twice a week.

Frequently she would stay even after her lesson and assist on potions for the Hospital Wing and such. Usually during these times, they would discuss random topics. Both hated small talk, but they never had a shortage of discussion topics. Normally, one topic would somehow merge into another topic, many times resulting in the pair facing off and they would spar with the other.

Today was no different. She was there during a free period. After this, she would have Transfiguration, and then dinner. Upon discussing how useful rudimentary potion making knowledge is for any witch or wizard to know, Hermione had gone on to compare it with cooking, where-by Snape had thought her daft.

"I suppose I could see that they both involve ingredients and stirring, but not much more," Snape replied, and went back to his potion.

"There's so much more than that, though! The timing and measuring; the passion-," Hermione was cut off by Snape giving a large snort. "And _what_, may I ask, is funny?"

"I find it funny that you can even think to compare the passion it takes to brew potions with making a cake," Snape said idly, concentrating on stirring perfect figure 8's in his potion. "For you to even call it passion is almost offensive."

"It is! It's just like your passion for brewing. People are passionate about different things, you know. Just because you can't make a cake…," Hermione mumbled.

"Trust me, Hermione, I can bake. And cook. I didn't always have house elves running around. You misunderstand me. I don't doubt that people have a passion for cooking; quite the contrary. But being a Potion's _Master_ is a different kind of passion. You throw around words because they sound expressive without thinking of what they truly mean. You don't know passion for potions," he told her.

"Excuse me, but I think I know what the word _passion_ means. And I know what a passion for potions is like. It may not be as strong as yours, but I love it. And I'm excellent at it," she shot back heatedly.

"No, Hermione, you're not," Snape said, finally laying down his ladle he had been stirring with and looking at her. "You exceed at them, sure. You're advanced in them, yes. But excellent? I don't think so."

"And what is it that I do wrong? I follow the recipes, I logically deduce what needs to be done, I refuse to make mistakes-"

"And therein lays the problem. You don't give yourself over to the art. You attempt to dictate a potion and force it into being, but a potion is what you put into it. A Draught of Living Death made by you compared to one made by me would effect a person differently, and mine would work better," Snape told her, walking around to her table. "I've made mistakes; I have the burn marks and scars to prove it. I've created batches and batches of worthless liquids, spent too many galleons, and thrown them all away when they didn't produce the results I had wanted. I've lived and breathed potions. I've literally put my blood, sweat, and tears into potions. Potion making has both dictated and ruined my life…and it has also saved it. I have thrown every bit of my life into brewing."

Snape seemed to be lost in thought as he gazed into Hermione's cauldron, and started adding ingredients to it almost mechanically. Hermione just watched.

"I have memorized how certain spirals of steam rise off of a potion. I've mixed ingredients that created power, and I've mixed together destruction. I have seen potions made by my hands extend life, and I have seen them bring death. How many _cakes_ have you made to do that?" Snape finished his speech and walked back to his table.

Hermione looked down at her cauldron and realized that he had finished her Pepper-Up potion and that it looked better than she had ever made.

"You're obviously bright, Hermione. Honestly, I think you just have too much muggle in you," Snape said, already concentrating on his potion.

"I know," Hermione said miserably. "I've tried working on that. But you don't understand how it feels to not belong in either world. I never felt right as a muggle, even when I was a child. When I got my letter, I was overjoyed; finally I knew the truth and I wasn't some freak. I was going to be going to school with kids like me. But I've never felt quite right here either. For a muggleborn, there is no home. It's true that I've felt the most at home here, but there's still so much that's foreign to me."

"You just have to make due. And I think I can relate to feeling like an outsider more than you know, even if not on the same level as you," Snape replied. At her raised eyebrow, he elaborated: "Hermione, I'm an ex-Death Eater. When has that ever been alright in a social circle?"

She started laughing. "Yeah, I suppose that would make it difficult."

"Exceedingly."

"Sometimes the muggle portion of my brain comes in handy, though," Hermione pointed out.

"Oh, I don't doubt it. Your problem is that you think like a muggle living in a wizarding world, instead of a witch in a wizarding world that just happens to have knowledge of muggles. You need to find a middle ground. I seem to recall your logic coming in handy during your first year," he told her.

Hermione laughed at the memory of the logic puzzle Snape had devised during the trek to the Sorcerer's Stone.

"I had almost forgotten about that! So many crazy things happened that year," she said, still smiling widely.

"You owe me a cloak, by the way," he said idly, adding powdered centaur hoof to his potion, the corners of his mouth tilting up slightly.

"Oh my god, I forgot about the fire! I'm sorry!" she laughed.

"A little late now, but it's better than nothing."

"Well, I did think you were trying to off one of my only friends, so that's my defense."

"Yes, I seem to remember your friends were obsessed with thinking I wanted them both dead," Snape said non-concernedly as he peered into his cauldron once more.

"You didn't exactly give them reason to believe otherwise," she laughed. "I remember during our first year when you refereed a match, Harry was considering not going to it. Ron told him to pretend to break his leg so he could get out of it." Her face held a wistful look as she remembered.

"That was a horrible suggestion; Madam Promfrey would have been able to set him right in a matter of seconds," Snape replied, peering at her over his cauldron and cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes, well, we weren't thinking clearly. Finally, we just told him to grab the snitch as fast as he could, without regard for points, before you could either kill him or penalize him."

"I seem to recall he had no problem finding it quickly," Snape drawled, looking bored.

She started cooling her potion and getting the bottles ready. "No, he rarely ever had problems catching it. He's very talented. He rarely lost a game."

"I'm sure I remember him losing to the Hufflepuffs of all teams," he said, looking up at her with amusement in his eyes.

"That's because he fell off his broom thanks to the Dementors, as you know full well. At least he never grabbed onto someone's broom tail to hold them back from the snitch like your precious Slytherins," she shot back.

"Don't blame my whole house because Draco was a little snot rag. Not everyone in Slytherin is bad," he told her as he worked on his potion, and then paused as he heard her snort. "What's so funny?"

"You are. Trying to defend them. You _do_ remember you don't have to anymore, right?" she laughed as she started ladling out correct doses into bottles.

Snape stood up straight and narrowed his eyes at her. "You think I'm defending them because I have to?" he asked in a low voice, all amusement in his eyes gone.

His tone of voice made her look up, her smile fading. "Well, yes. I thought that's what you had said before the year started, after Voldemort was killed."

"You were mistaken then. I simply meant that I was free from any obligation that made me _favor_ the students of Death Eaters, and favor my House in general as the Dark Lord thought was only fitting. However, they are still my students and I will still defend them," he told her, still glaring at her.

"I didn't mean-," she began but was cut off.

"Save it, Hermione. I know only too well of what people like you think of the House of Slytherin. Don't attempt to defend yourself," he said, going back to his potion.

"People…like _me_?" she sputtered. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that you're driven by ignorance and conformity," he stated simply, still not paying attention to her.

"Excuse you! That is very far from the truth! How dare you presume to judge me?" She threw her ladle onto the work surface.

"You believe every Slytherin is evil, that's how I presume," he said.

"Well, look at the lot of them!"

Snape stood straight up at this comment, and set his ladle down as well, albeit more gently.

"Ms. Granger, I assumed you were better than that."

"Well it's true!" she said, becoming defensive. "Look at Voldemort! What house was he in? Or Bellatrix Lestrange? Lucius Malfoy?-"

"Draco Malfoy. Kingsley Shacklebolt. Severus Snape," Snape cut in, speaking in the low voice that always preceded danger.

"Wow, you found three people that are good."

"A single person can tip the scales, Hermione." When she rolled her eyes, he continued. "How well would your fifth year have gone without Kingsley being on our side and helping in the ministry? He also brought us Tonks. How would Mr. Potter have been now, after the battle is over, never coming to terms with himself because Draco wasn't around to help him? And where exactly would the whole side of the Light be without the information I passed from the Dark Lord's own inner circle?"

Hermione opened her mouth to retort but Snape wasn't finished.

"Or, how about your own Mr. Potter's life? His parents would still be alive if not for Voldemort, yes? That is what drove him for so long, was it not? And I've heard Hagrid say many times that there's 'not a witch or wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin', correct? But how would Voldemort have ever known where to find his parents if not for Peter Pettigrew?" Hermione's face paled slightly and he grinned in triumph. "He may just be _one person_, but he single handedly paved the rough road for your best friend. He fed the Dark Lord information from the Order, gave away Harry's parents' position, helped keep his inhuman form alive, and in your fourth year I seem to remember some minor event including the Dark Lord rising again, aided by Mr. Wormtail. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't he in Gryffindor?"

Hermione just glared at her professor.

"You, like many others, judge on the main events instead of realizing that they are just chunks of time. Adolf Hitler, for example, has made it so that now many people ONLY think of the Holocaust when they think of Germany, even though he was Austrian. It is a huge black mark on Germany's record, not only as a country, but as a people. You see a German and you think Nazi. I, on the other hand, live in Germany during the summers and I find it spectacular. But what else would you expect from a Slytherin such as me? Slytherins and Nazis go hand in hand according to your lot don't they?"

"You lot?"

"Honestly, Hermione, this repeating game of yours is getting old."

"If _any_ of your Slytherins were _halfway_ decent, maybe I COULD change my mind!" she shouted.

"How many Slytherin students aside from Draco do you know? And not as Head Girl 'knowing' the prefects," he asked. When she didn't answer, he continued. "As I thought. How many Slytherins were you ever friends with in your almost 8 years here?"

"That's not fair!" Hermione cut in. "How many of your precious students were friends with me?"

"Did you ever attempt to befriend them?"

"Why should I make the move to do it?" she asked, avoiding the question.

"Nice maneuvering. It didn't work, but I'll answer that question anyway. Slytherins are demonized from the start. Don't roll your eyes at me! They are. No Slytherin feels welcome except by other Slytherins because they are shunned by every other house from the moment the sorting hat yells SLYTHERIN. When you got your letter and started reading up on the houses, what did the traits for Slytherin house say?" he asked her.

"That the students chosen were normally those that sought power, and were cunning and ambitious," she said tight lipped.

"And that's a bad thing? No. It only became bad when you got on the train and asked around about the houses. The older students all had something to say, as well did the first years with older siblings. After that, power turned into greed. Cunning turned into sneaky rats. Ambitious turned into dark. By the time that train rolled into the Hogwarts station, which houses were you considering?"

"Gryffindor or Ravenclaw," Hermione said at once.

"Why?"

"Because Ravenclaws are intelligent and Gryffindors are brave," she said.

"Ah, intelligence and bravery are very admirable qualities, and obviously ONLY centered on those houses. Never mind that cunning is a synonym for clever, or that you're the brightest student at Hogwarts and _not_ in Ravenclaw. Tell me, Hermione, do you plan on living off of your fame as a war hero for the rest of your life?"

Taken aback by the random question, Hermione answered honestly, "Of course not! I want to do something with my life!"

"And you were very brave during the battle, I must say. Some of those plans you created for our side were brilliant," he told her, taking a deliberate step from behind his table and towards hers.

"Thank you…?" Hermione wasn't sure where he was going with this, but didn't like the evil smirk on his face as he stalked closer.

"In short," he said softly, as he drew closer, "you're very ambitious. Your ambition and the way you demonstrated it shows how powerful you are and how powerful you can become. And those plans in the battle were very…_cunning_." He placed his hands on her table and leaned close to her. "Now, before you say anything further, ask yourself…are you sure _you_ were sorted into the correct house?"

XXX

"Hey, 'Mione! Wait up!" said a voice from the side of Hermione.

She was on her way to dinner with Harry and Draco. She had holed herself in her room after class to replay the argument she had had with Snape that morning.

Hermione was angry. She was angry that he called her ignorant. She was angry that he based his opinion of her character as a whole off of one thing she said. Most of all, however, she was angry that he had a point; several points, actually. And it angered her that somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought he was right.

Looking around for the person that called her name, her eyes landed on Charlie Weasley. Fresh snow littered his red hair and jacket, and he was jogging over to where she was standing in the front hall.

Beside her, she felt Harry stiffen. He had still not come to easy terms with the older Weasley, and still maintained that he had a right to be suspicious. Charlie's eyes narrowed at the sight of her best friend as he drew near. He still felt like Harry owed him an apology and was suspicious of him. Hermione just thought the two of them were crazy.

"Hey Draco. Harry." Charlie said greeted as he neared. Harry acknowledged him with a curt nod, while Draco gave a half wave. "I like your hair like that, 'Mione. It's really pretty."

Hermione blushed as she put her hand on her perfect French braid. "Thank you," she said at the same time as Draco. Charlie lifted an eyebrow at this and Hermione just giggled.

When Draco had found her sulking in her bedroom, he had taken it upon himself to give her a small make-over. Not much, just some light make-up and did her hair. He said he remembered watching his mom do hers as he grew up and his mom would let him brush her hair and help her style it. As he did Hermione's hair, he finally coaxed her into talking and she recounted the entire conversation with their Professor earlier. Draco had just listened to her rant, and his face held traces of amusement in the reflection she stared at. At the end, he just shrugged and said that he agreed with his godfather and that she should try to view it from the eyes of a Slytherin, or just ask him any time she wanted to.

"Draco did it for me," she explained. "He did a great job though." Draco did a slight bow, and even Harry grinned and shoved his shoulder playfully.

"Yeah, he did. You look wonderful," Charlie said, ignoring Harry's eye roll.

"Thanks. So what's up?"

"Just got finished cleaning up from my last class, and wanted to catch you and ask if you wanted to maybe come have dinner with me tonight." Charlie smiled at a group of first year girls that had entered the hall and were taking their time to mosey to dinner, giggling and blushing, clearly enamored by the rugged looking professor.

"Oh! Well, I-" Hermione started and was cut off by Harry.

"Can't. Sorry. She's eating with us tonight, being that she's a student and students eat in the Great Hall with other students. And she's Head Girl. You would think you might remember that being a teacher here," he said.

"Watch it, Potter," Charlie said, glaring at Harry.

"Sorry, _Professor_," Harry shot back, smirking.

"Anyway, _'Mione_, if you want to join me I would be honored," Charlie said, giving Hermione his most charming smile, making the first year girls still dawdling glare at her.

"It sounds wonderful, but I can't. We're having a study session right after dinner, and I want to dive right in. I'm sorry," Hermione told him.

Looking a bit crestfallen, Charlie gave her a small smile. "It's ok, maybe next time. I don't give up easily." More students were starting to trickle in through the hall.

"Maybe you should," Harry said.

"What was that?" Charlie shot at him.

"I said, maybe you should give up, _Professor_," Harry said in a low voice and went to take a step forward but Draco put his hand on his shoulder, restraining him.

"I don't think it's any of your business what 'Mione does in her personal life, _Potter_," Charlie answered just as low, eyes glinting maliciously.

"Both of you stop," Hermione said firmly, but they ignored her.

"I thought your mother taught you better than to go after a woman who's already taken. I know Ron never tried to come between relationships," Harry bit out, making Charlie pull up short; Harry _never_ mentioned Ron casually. Before he could reply, however, another voice spoke.

"As much as it pains me to say this, I would have to agree with Mr. Potter," a deep baritone said softly next to them. They all turned their heads to see Snape standing by them with his arms crossed, sneering. He waved his wand and they all felt the _muffliato_ spell take place.

"Do you have any idea the spectacle you're making?" Snape asked them. "If you want to argue, then at least have the intelligence to remember to put up protective charms! And _Mister_ Weasely, Mr. Potter here is very correct and you should do well to remember to limit your flirting and invitations to Hermione. I won't warn you again," he finished, and waved his wand once more, disabling the charm.

He put his hand on the small of Hermione's back and led her away from her group of friends and into the Great Hall. She knew it was pointless to argue so she went along with the show. As they passed the new table she sat at, he stopped and pulled out her chair for her and waited until she sat down before walking to the staff table. Draco and Harry joined her moments later, and Charlie took his seat with the staff looking grumpy.

"I should've started hanging out with you two sooner; it's exciting," Draco said amusedly, reaching for his cup while Harry and Hermione glared at him. "But, Harry _is_ right." Harry sat up a little straighter and his glare turned into something softer.

"Well, I think that Severus is right and we should've put up a charm, but Harry was just saying that to get Charlie away," Hermione said, waving her hand as she started putting food on her plate.

"No I didn't; I was serious, Hermione. He needs to stop," Harry told her, looking over Draco to talk to her.

"Harry's right, Hermione. It's dangerous for Charlie to be doing that," Draco said.

Hermione scoffed. "Dangerous? To flirt?"

"Yes, to _flirt_," Harry sneered at the word and cast a quick _muffliato_. "Isn't the crucial part of this plan that it be believable you and Snape are madly in love? That you two aren't held down by titles because your feelings are too deep?" –Draco faked gagging as he started putting food on his boyfriend's plate- "How is that supposed to fool _anyone_, especially _Lucius_ and his spy if Charlie is trying to get in the middle and you're not doing anything about it?"

"Whoa, when did this become my fault?" Hermione said indignantly.

"No one said it's your fault, Hermione," Draco drawled. "However, it's true that you need to start acting up the doting girlfriend act. You're supposed to be with him because you two are a perfect match," –At this, it was Harry's turn to fake gag as he started digging into his food- "and you're supposed to be super mature so you can handle this love that you both know people won't accept. If you're going to flirt back with Charlie, or allow him to flirt with you, then you're allowing the school to see it and you _know_ how rumors spread here. How many people do you think will be talking about the scene in the entrance hall by tomorrow?" Before she could angrily retort, he lifted the charm and started eating.

Hermione sat in her seat, sulking, while she picked at her food.

_This sucks,_ she thought. _Now, not only is my freedom being taken away, but I'm not even allowed to enjoy some flirting._

After about 15 or 20 minutes, however, her thoughts started to change. Draco and Harry had been studiously ignoring her the entire time, Harry warning Draco of her thinking face.

_I suppose they have a point; I _could_ be a bit more graceful about everything people are doing for me. _She fingered her necklace thoughtfully. _I really should be nicer. Severus, in particular, is giving up so much of _his_ freedom as well; maybe even more than I am._

She glanced over to where her "boyfriend" sat, chatting quietly to Professor Flitwick and eating. _He's had almost no freedom for so long…and he finally has a year to turn everything around for himself and he's roped into helping me. Here I am moaning about how I can't go to Hogsmeade alone or go have a dinner with Ron's _brother_, yet Severus is taking this all in stride and not even being put off._

Hermione had no idea she had been staring at Snape the entire time with a thoughtful look on her face until his eyes met hers, and he raised his eyebrow. Hermione blushed and looked away, only to raise her eyes to his once more. This time he gave her a slight smile, not a smirk, before he looked away and back to the other Professor.

Hermione felt a huge goofy smile overcome her face and looked back at her plate, suddenly hungry. She heard Draco give a slight, discreet cough to her left and she looked at him. Harry was still eating and looking at his plate, but she could tell he was paying attention. Draco was looking ahead out at the Hall as he picked up his goblet.

"So, while you were lovingly eyeing our Potions Master, did you come to the conclusion we were right?" he drawled before he took a sip, a smirk on his face. Harry snorted into his goulash, unable to help himself.

Straightening her spine, Hermione stiffly replied, "I've decided that your argument is sound and has merit, and I will consider it further."

"Is that the closest I'm going to get to an 'I'm sorry, I was wrong, and you were right'?" Draco asked, smirking at her.

"Basically. Be lucky you got that," Harry mumbled into his food, while Hermione leaned around Draco to glare at him, and Draco just laughed.

XXX

The next morning, the trio walked into breakfast talking about their plans for Christmas. Hermione, obviously, was staying in the castle. Both Draco & Harry decided they would be her friends and stay with her, but she waved them off.

Draco had been talking about spending the holidays at the house he shared with Snape in Germany, hedging around the idea of taking Harry with him. Hermione thought it was brilliant and told Harry to go enjoy himself for once.

They were still talking about it when the owls came streaming into the Hall. Reflexively, she glanced up to see if she could spot the hawk. What she saw instead were at least 5 different owls heading her way.

Wait; not _her_ way. They were now landing in front of a bewildered Harry, with a grumpy Draco wrinkling his nose at the owl now stepping in his eggs.

"I'm surprised it took this long," Draco drawled, glaring at another owl when it tried to go for his bacon.

"What?" Hermione asked, but it seemed that Harry had already caught on. His face held just resignation and had an air about him of a man who wanted to get the worst over with.

Moving to the owl with the biggest burden, Harry unrolled his copy of _The Daily Prophet_. With Harry seated in the middle this time, it was easy for his two friends to lean over and see what was splashed across the front page.

**The Boy-Who-Lived, **_**GAY?**_

**And you won't believe who the 'Chosen One' chose for his lover!**

The Boy-Who-Lived, our Chosen one, defeater of Voldemort has come out of the proverbial closet, _writes award-winning correspondent, Rita Skeeter_.

The startling revelation was made almost a month ago in the middle of dinner at his school Hogwarts, where he bravely returned to finish his education even with the loss of his best friend.

"I'M GAY!" Harry Potter shouted for all to hear, startling everyone in the vicinity. It appeared he had been arguing with his new beau, none other than the son of notorious Death Eater, Lucius Malfoy.

Yes, that's right; the 'Chosen One' has chosen former school enemy, Draco Malfoy. No words yet on how Potter's 'adopted' family, the Weasleys, are taking this shock.

Almost everyone knows that Arthur Weasley had a grudge with Malfoy, Sr. for years, as well as their only daughter, Ginny, had a bad run-in with Malfoy, Sr.'s trickery her first year at Hogwarts that almost killed her. Harry's other best friend, muggle-born Hermione Granger, is also known for hitting Malfoy, Jr. in her third year, as well as everyone hearing Draco make fun of Potter's now dead best friend, Ronald Weasley, for his family's financial situation.

What would Ron say if he knew what was happening? What would Harry's parents say? All my speculations and more continued on pages 4, 5, and 8. (_Short bio on Draco and Lucius Malfoy, as well as Ron Weasley on page 7_).

Harry's eyes looked murderous as he lowered the paper.

"That's…horrible! How dare her!" Hermione said indignantly.

"Well, might as well look and see which of your fans stand behind you and which ones think I'm going to corrupt you," Draco drawled. "Shoo!" He backhanded an owl as it tried stealing his bacon again, and grabbed the letter before the affronted bird flew off. "Here, I have your first one."

"Let's cast some detection spells first. I still remember the pus that blistered my fingers in fourth year," Hermione said, and raised her wand to cast when another ten owls landed.

By now, nearly everyone in the hall was talking about the story, either reading it first hand, or leaning over to read a friend's copy.

"I suggest we retire to our rooms before class," Draco said, surveying the watching students. Draco, Hermione, and Harry had a free period that morning before class anyway.

When at last the letters started to look like they were slowing, the three friends grabbed handfuls of them and walked out of the Great Hall.

"Honestly, I think I should just burn them all," Harry said as they walked.

"Are you serious? This is the one time I might get to see people disagree and write angry things about The Boy with the Lighting Scar!" Draco said amusedly.

"Yes, because helping the foul Skeeter woman in your 4th year didn't count. Nor did the articles in our 5th year," Hermione said idly as she walked. Draco stuck his tongue out at her. "I'm tempted to agree with you, Harry. Even if some say good things, the bad ones will stick with you more."

"Yeah, I just don't really care about what they have to say. Maybe I will just burn them." Harry and Hermione ignored Draco's exasperated noises.

"Well, we have a fireplace in our room so you can decide there," Hermione said as they reached the dorm door.

Upon entering, the three friends dropped the letters on the table in front of the fireplace as Hermione started a fire.

Draco immediately seized a letter and ripped it open.

"What?" he said as Harry and Hermione stared at him. "Harry couldn't decide so I'm deciding for him. If it's a bad one, I'll chuck it. If it's good, he can keep it if he wants if he ever needs an ego boost."

His eyes scanned the letter for a few seconds before crumpling it up and lobbing it into the fireplace.

"Easy, see?" he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes and gave into temptation as she grabbed a few letters. Harry just sat back shaking his head in amusement.

"Hey Dobby!" he called suddenly, and there was a loud CRACK as the house elf appeared. He sunk into a bow before Harry and as he lifted his head, he saw who was seated extremely close and cozy to him.

"M-Master Draco!" said Dobby, his large orb eyes growing wide as he backed up. Draco looked up and cocked his head at the elf.

"Hey Dobby; you're looking good. I like the socks," Draco said, and went back to reading an exceptionally long letter.

Dobby just looked at Draco curiously for a moment before turning back to Harry.

"Harry Potter, how are you? Dobby misses having Harry Potter at the house. It is not much fun with just Kreacher there," Dobby shook his head, and then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Why is Harry Potter cuddling with Draco Malfoy?"

Draco tried turning his laugh into a cough as he pretended to have not heard the elf.

Harry just smiled. "Dobby, Draco has changed a lot. In fact, he's my b-boyfriend." Harry blushed slightly over his stutter and hesitation of the word.

Draco stopped reading and stared, wide eyed, at Harry. Hermione surveyed them over the top of her letter.

"That's the first time you've actually said that," Draco said, sounding awestruck.

"Well, I might as well get used to it after the _Prophet_ article," Harry said, shrugging as he tried to play it cool. He lost that battle, however, when Draco grabbed his head and pulled him in for a kiss. Hermione went back to reading the letter and Dobby covered his eyes with his ears.

When Draco had sat back and resumed reading, Dobby peeked to check if it was clear to look. The house elf and Hermione met eyes and shared a smile.

"Harry Potter, Dobby is happy if Harry Potter is happy. If Draco Malfoy makes Harry Potter happy, then so be it. If Harry Potter says Draco Malfoy is changed and good now, then Dobby believes him. If Harry Potter-" the elf was cut off by Draco.

"Hey Dobby, you don't have to call me Draco Malfoy. I'm fine just being Draco," he said, and set aside a letter and sat up to look straight at his former house elf. "My father was a bad man. He was cruel, and vile, and treated you and the other house elves like vermin. You deserved more, and I am SO happy that you went and helped Harry during my second year. I'm extremely sorry for, not only the way my father treated you, but also for how I treated you. I wasn't a pleasant person, and I can't blame it all on my upbringing; I was a jerk. If you can find a way to forgive me, I would appreciate it. I really am trying to change. I'm even taking a Muggle Studies class. I don't wish to be associated with my father in any way, ever again, and the easiest way to do that is to use my last name as little as possible. Is that ok?" Then Draco stuck out his hand to the tiny elf, who flinched by habit. Draco tried not to show the slight hurt on his face, and kept his hand out.

Dobby stood blinking at Draco for a few seconds before his face split into a huge grin and he had tears in his eyes. He grabbed Draco's hand with both of his and shook it repeatedly.

"Master Draco has never spoken to Dobby with-with _respect_! Master Draco even asked if Dobby is ok with something that he said! He asked _me_ to forgive him! No worries, Master Draco, Dobby will not call Master by his surname anymore!" Dobby said and released Draco's hand finally.

"You don't have to call me Master either. Just Draco," he said, smiling at the elf and picking up a new letter.

"Anyway, Dobby, I was wondering if you could bring us some tea and some fruit or crackers. We left breakfast early. I was going to call one of the Hogwarts elves, but I missed you," Harry told Dobby.

Dobby was still mopping his eyes on one of his many scarves as he nodded. He disapparated with a loud crack, and appeared less than 30 seconds later with trays laden tea, cakes, biscuits, fruit, and crackers, along with another house elf helping him to carry them all.

"Hey Kreacher!" Harry said. "Thanks!"

"Kreacher is a good elf and helps his master. Dobby and Kreacher have been tending to Master's plants and grass. Master's house is ready for when he comes home," Kreacher said, bowing to Harry.

"Hey Kreacher," Hermione said to the elf. Kreacher turned around and bowed to Hermione as well.

"Miss Hermione," he said in his croaky voice.

"Master Harry has a boyfriend, Kreacher. It is Dobby's old Master's son, Draco! But Draco is good now, and is kind. He complimented Dobby's socks! Draco doesn't want to be called Draco Malfoy or Master. Draco just wants to be called Draco," Dobby told Kreacher.

"I've never heard my name said so many times in a short span of time," Draco said looking at the two elves in amusement.

"You get used to it," Harry said, laughing.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

_Hermione,_

_So sorry I haven't kept in touch recently; I've been busy-busy. You wouldn't BELIVE what goes into plotting and scheming. It's all so tiring. And of course, I had to get over the shame of reading that ghastly article about Potter and that ex-son of mine._

_I hope the fag of my seed is still protecting you; well, that's a lie. Honestly, I hope he's NOT. But it just seems that they spend more time giving one another lovey eyes than watching you. This all works in my favor, of course. Even if that disappointment (I do so hate to call him son) is a queer, he still knows how to help his dad. _

_I do wonder, though, how things are with you and Severus. It seems that whatever you two had is gone now. Sure, he may still act the part, but from how I hear it, things aren't very convincing. _

_And CHARLIE WEASLEY? I knew you were a dirty mudblood, a disgrace to the name of magic, and not fit to wipe my shoes but…leading on the brother of your dead best friend? A dead best friend whom I hear used to also have a thing for you? Luckily, darling Severus jumped in and steered you away, I hear, so he was able to play the doting boyfriend once more._

_Maybe this will be easier than I thought. Could it be that people just really don't care about you as much as you would like to think? Maybe they've already cast you off as a filthy mudblood. Maybe Draco is doing one good thing in his life and making Potter see the truth about you. Wouldn't that be something to see splashed across the _Daily Prophet_? '_The-Boy-Who-Lived turns on Mudblood Friend.' _I think it would even take over that disgusting front page story about The Chosen One and his 'Lover'._

_Adieu, Lucius_

Hermione lowered the letter with shaking hands. She knew it was a mistake to open it at dinner but she didn't think about it until she had already opened it.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, looking around Draco so he could see her.

Hermione just stared straight ahead trying to process the words she had just read. She knew that he was trying to mess with her mind; that was his angle. He wanted to get inside her brain and make her doubt. She wouldn't listen to him; she couldn't. She knew the truth: Harry loved her. She was basically the only family he had. Draco basically loved her; she could see that in his eyes. They were all best friends now. And Severus…well, Severus would never turn his back on her even if he really didn't have feelings for her. She was his assignment, and Severus Snape never gives an assignment less that 100%.

So why was she still fretting over it? Now she was just being paranoid and she knew it. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice was telling her that she had to snap out it; she had to go back to eating and act normal. Lucius' spy was probably discreetly watching her now.

_His spy,_ she thought with malice. _How did they figure out so much about me? How did they know about Ron liking me? We never dated officially; we kept everything under wraps and broke it off after a couple weeks when we realized we felt like brother and sister. Even the people in Gryffindor tower never thought we liked one another. I know a lot of people just assumed it since we were all together but that died down by 5__th__ or 6__th__ year. That's disconcerting._

Hermione attempted to shake herself from her thoughts. She knew that Harry and Draco would be worried about her. She looked over to tell them she was fine and just stared as Draco and Harry laughed to themselves. Draco had Hermione's letter in one hand and Harry was attempting to read it over his shoulder.

She tried not to be put out. She told herself that they weren't laughing at her distress and she was just being paranoid. She tried to focus on the present and tuned in as Harry was talking to Draco.

"….I think she's a mudblood," Harry said in a low, almost whispering, voice. Draco just nodded and shuddered and they both started laughing again.

Next thing she knew, she was standing with no recollection of doing so. Her plate was overturned; it must have been disturbed by her abrupt standing. Harry and Draco stared wide eyed at her, mouths slightly agape.

"Hermione…," Draco said, and reached a hand out to her tentatively. She jerked back before he could touch her and stepped over the bench. Now more students were watching her; she could feel it. She didn't care though; she was too angry.

She started walking away when she felt a hand on her arm stop her. She whipped around to see Harry standing with one leg on either side of the bench, reaching out to her.

"Let me go. NOW," she said in a low voice. "Just stay away from me."

She started walking faster and faster toward the entrance. She saw students from all houses and ages turn their heads to look at her.

_One of these people are reporting to Lucius_, she thought. With all eyes on her, who would notice one pair looking more intently?

And with that, she ran from the Great Hall.

XXX

"Professor Snape!"

Severus groaned inwardly as he recognized the voice. He had almost made it to his chambers. He was looking forward to no patrols after dinner and just a nice night to lie in bed, continued by a nice long weekend.

But of course, he forgot to factor in that the Fates hated him.

Turning around, his scowl turned into a slight frown as he watched Potter running full speed towards him with Draco on his heels. He looked at his godson's face as they reached him and could tell by his eyes that something was wrong.

Wrong. What could be wrong? Why would they come to him? The only reason they ever came to find _him_ instead of Albus when something was wrong is when it had to do with-

"Where's Hermione?" Severus asked immediately.

"She's…mad…necklace…off…don't know…where-," Harry puffed out, holding a stitch in his side.

Draco, who seemed to be in better breathing, cast a _muffliato_ around them and clarified. "She's gone. We don't know where. She got upset after receiving an owl from Lucius at dinner and ran out of the Hall. Harry was worried about her and wanted to go after her, but I told him to give her some alone time. It's my fault; I was a bit upset that she snapped at us at dinner, and I figured she was just stressed so I just thought-"

"Get on with it, Draco!" Snape cut in anxiously.

"Right, well, after dinner we decided to go see if she was better, except she wasn't in the room; at all. We even checked her room. It looked empty, but normal…except for this," Draco said, and grimly held up the necklace he had made for Hermione and handed it to his godfather. Snape just stared at it, not knowing what to say. Fear was creeping up into his veins like ice water.

"What about that bloody map of yours?" he snarled at Harry. Harry straightened up and explained that they had thought of that as well, but it never came when summoned. So they had run up to his dorm, and it was gone. They figured that she took that as well.

_Fuck_, he thought. _Where would she have gone?_

"What did the letter say, how did she act, and where did you check?"

"Here, you can read it. She acted really upset and almost scared; paranoid even. And we haven't checked many places because we wanted to come straight to you, so we ran from Gryffindor Tower," Harry said.

Snape just nodded absently at Harry's voice as he read the letter.

"Go and inform the Headmaster that I am going to search for her. Alone," he held up his hands to forestall any complaints. "I've done this for years, even before you were born. It'll be faster this way; I believe I may know of a way to locate her. Tell the Headmaster to send me a patronus message if he finds her. Draco, you know how to send one as well, so you do the same if you and Potter come across her. I will send one if I do, or if my way fails."

"Yes sir," Harry said, and Draco nodded, then they were running again. Snape stalked through his private chambers and straight into his potions lab. He grabbed a map that showed Hogwarts and a 10 mile radius around it and laid it on a table. This way, he would know if she went into Hogsmeade.

Next, he grabbed some potions ingredients and immediately set to work bring them to a boil. He added hair of a blood hound, as well as a sliver of a thestral talon to the concoction that was a deep blue. Finally he added a piece of Hermione's hair that had, thankfully, gotten caught on her necklace.

When it was completely boiled and a brilliant green color, he dipped a pointed crystal tied to a rope into it and held it for 30 seconds. When he brought it back out of the potion, the crystal had absorbed the potion and now glowed the same green.

He brought the crystal over to the map and held it over the paper by the rope.

"Show me where Hermione Granger is," Snape commanded and lowered the crystal to the map, the point barely resting on it. He waited a few moments, holding his breath, and then the point of the crystal began to move on its own accord. It seemed to be staying in the confines of the castle, which suited him. It was heading to the top portion of the castle, and before it even reached its destination, Snape knew where he would find her.

XXX

_Stupid_, Hermione thought to herself. _This is all stupid. I'm being paranoid, Harry and Draco don't hate me, and they're probably all really pissed I disappeared. I know all of this. So why don't I feel reassured?_

Hermione paced up and down in the grass, letting the sun hit her face.

Well, artificial sun. When she had gotten to the Room of Requirement, all she had asked was for a place where she could get away from everything; she wanted to be able to forget what was happening and go to somewhere where she could relax…if she was ever able to wind down enough.

Right now, it wasn't looking in her favor. She had been pacing for the last almost hour. Every time she talked herself into calming down and thinking rationally, her paranoia would start up and she'd be back to where she was before.

She just wanted this to be over. She had hoped with the end of the war she would be able to have a semi-normal life. But now she was stuck with an almost 24hr guard team watching her every move, a madman on the loose trying to kill her, and a fake relationship with a man whom she was having feelings a student should NOT be having towards her teacher. It all just got to be too much. She finally just sat down under a large tree with her head in her hands on her knees and cried.

"I do hope you don't think your _tears_ will stop us from being pissed you ran off, Hermione," said a deep baritone voice.

Her head snapped up and looked over at where Snape was leaning casually against a tree, arms crossed, as if he somehow found ways of making it into secret rooms to find runaway paranoid girls crying under fake trees every day. She saw what looked like a patronus fly from behind him disappear.

"How did you get in here?" Hermione asked.

"I'm a Hogwarts professor, Hermione, as well as a powerful wizard well-verse in normal and dark magic and ex-Death Eater. It's simple; I _asked_." He smirked at her astonishment. "You think I don't know about the Room? I was a student here once, as well, Hermione. It wasn't only you and your friends that found it. I simply asked that it let me in to you because you are in grave danger and I am your…protector."

"You tricked the Room!"

"I prefer…cunning. Technically, nothing I said was a lie. I AM in charge of protecting you, and you ARE in danger. You would be in LESS danger, however, if you _kept your bloody tracking device on!_"

Hermione's face crumpled and fresh tears welled up in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened! The letter just got to me and…I just took off! I've been in here for an hour now, knowing what I did was stupid and dangerous and wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to go back out there! I know Harry and Draco wouldn't hurt me but…it just seemed so logical at the time!" Hermione sobbed.

"Yes, I read the letter," Snape snapped. "I still don't agree with you running off! And if you did, you could have come to my quarters! You know that! That's the point in keeping this up! You have access to my wards for a reason! If you even had the slimmest doubt in Potter or Draco, you should've come straight to me! If you have any doubt in ANYTHING, you _come straight to me._"

"I…I didn't even think of that," Hermione said, looking as if she had been hit over the head.

"Clearly," Snape sneered. "If anything, you should've come to me anyway since I could probably talk to you more about _paranoia_ than anyone else. I _was_ a spy, you know."

Next thing he knew, he had Hermione's arms wrapped around him in a fierce hug, with her sobbing into his cloak.

"I was so stupid. I'm sorry! I haven't been sleeping well, and I just get so worried! And I know this is all my fault and his spy probably sensed that and used it against me. But…but…" and the rest of her words were swallowed by sobs and he couldn't make them out if he tried.

Slowly, he pulled his arms free from the hold she had, but she still clutched to him. Sighing, he carefully lowered his arms to her back and awkwardly patted her.

"Hermione, as _touching_ as this is, I must insist we journey back out into the castle so your friends can share in this…hug. Preferably, when I'm far away."

Surprisingly, Hermione started laughing at that, and pulled away. She looked almost like her old self again.

"Right you are, professor. I have to face them sometime."

"Indeed."

The both casually strolled towards the random door in the middle of her outdoor scenery.

"So, how did you do it? How did you find me?" she asked.

Snape raised one eyebrow at her.

"Magic, of course."

"Smartass."

XXX

"HERMIONE!" came two different male voices.

Hermione sighed and braced herself for what was to come. She turned around and was about to apologize, but before she could get any words out she was caught in a firm hug.

"Don't you ever do that again! Do you hear me?" Harry pulled her away long enough to stare her directly in the eyes and give her a slight shake before she was pulled against him again. "I don't care what he says to you! You go find Professor Snape before _anyone_! _Got it?_"

Hermione had started crying again by this point and could only nod. She looked to where Draco was standing a little off, with his arms crossed.

Draco looked at her with almost a glare, before sighing and uncrossing his arms. Finally, he walked over to where Harry was still half strangling her and peeled him off of her.

"Careful Harry. Anymore shaking and Severus will choke you again," Draco said, ignoring Hermione.

Harry and Snape looked back and forth between Draco and Hermione before Snape finally called Harry over.

"Did you send a patronus to the Headmaster?" she heard him ask, and she heard him murmur a_ muffliato_.

She glanced up at Draco. He looked as if he were trying very hard to keep himself together. His arms were crossed again, and he was staring at a point above her head. An easy feat, since he was almost a good 10 inches taller than her.

"Draco…listen…," Hermione began, but was cut off.

"How could you, Hermione? After everything I've tried this semester, everything I've done for you and Harry, EVERYTHING I DID IN THAT BLOODY WAR WHERE I LOST MY FAMILY, NAME, AND LIFE….after ALL of THAT…how could you sit there and let ONE FUCKING LETTER from _him_ convince you that I was plotting with Harry behind your back? Convince you that I'm turning HARRY FUCKING POTTER, BLEEDING HEART THAT HE IS, SON OF _MUGGLEBORN LILY POTTER_, into a pureblooded way of thinking. That _somehow, _I'm CONVINCING HIM that his BEST FRIEND is a _mudblood_," he ranted.

Hermione blanched and attempted to apologize again, but Draco was on a role.

"You were my only friend here, Hermione! You were the only one willing to give me a chance at first other than Dumbledore and Severus! At least, when I found out we'd be sharing quarters, I was relieved because I didn't believe I'd had to watch my back every five minutes!"

"I'M SORRY!"

"Oh, you're sorry! You're always bloody SORRY, Hermione! Stop being SORRY and stop doing the things that make you sorry in the first place! I understand this is hard for you, really, I do. But this isn't just about you anymore. You're just the key; you're the tool. You're in Harry's position now. If anything, talk to him sometime about how you feel!" Draco yelled, now going red in the face. "Because if Lucius succeeds we're going to have much bigger problems on our hands."

Draco started to stalk away and turned a corner. She heard Snape release the spell and felt his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off ran after Draco.

Rounding the corner, she heard noises coming from an alcove where he must have forgotten the _muffliato_. She peeked tentatively inside and felt her heart break as she saw Draco with his forehead against the wall, arm above him, crying.

"Draco…," she whispered, and stepped into the alcove. She pulled his unresisting form to her and just hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Draco, I'm so sorry. I'm really going to try. Severus gave me a talking to in the Room earlier and right when I walked out of the Hall I knew I had done the wrong thing. I'm so sorry Draco. I know you wouldn't hurt me," she whispered to him as she rubbed his back. "I love you Draco, so much. You and Harry and Severus have helped me through so much and I've only given you all hardships. Well no more. I'm going to really try."

"I love you too, Hermione," Draco said between his slowing tears.

"I'm so happy we all love each other," said a sneering baritone voice that could only belong to one man. Both Hermione and Draco flipped him off and continued to hug, while Harry sniggered.

XXX

"Aww, Professor! Another one?" Draco asked, not even bothering to keep the whine out of his voice.

"Yes, Mr.M-Draco, _another_ one. Our last ball was quite a success and I am determined to make this a very happy returning year to the best of my abilities," the headmaster said.

"But…it's not even the Triwizard tournament! How can we have a Yule Ball?"

Dumbledore just waved his hand dismissively. "Oh pfft, those are just details. It just seems easier to call it a Yule Ball rather than Christmas or Holiday ball."

Draco just snorted and went back to taking notes.

"Ok, Professor, so basically the same rules apply as the last one, but without the costume restrictions, correct? No inappropriate dress or behavior and such?" Hermione asked.

"Yes and all students are allowed to attend, rather than during your fourth year where it was just fourth years and up. Also, you'll see I have scheduled it to where it is day before the end of the term. It will be on that Friday night and the students will be boarding the train Saturday afternoon. That way, no one will have to make the decision whether to stay for the fun or be home with their families this year," Dumbledore said, sitting back and looking very pleased with himself.

"Yes sir. Ok, well, with this Hogsmeade weekend coming up this Saturday, it will give the students ample time to send away for money if you tell them tonight at dinner. Then that will give us 2 weeks to prepare everything," Hermione said, scanning Draco's notes.

"Spectacular," he said dryly.

"You're just mad because you can't go incognito again," she laughed.

"True," Draco sighed as he stood up. They both said goodbye to the headmaster and started their trek back to their rooms, Draco already calling a meeting of the prefects.

"This one will be better because you will be able to openly dance with Harry," Hermione said as they walked.

Draco snorted. "It will be better in a selfish way, but in no way easier. I mean, how is the now openly gay savior-of-the-world Harry Potter dancing with the equally gay son of a death eater easier?" he laughed. "But at least this time I can just assume we'll be going together instead of beating around the bush."

XXX

"Another one?"

"I know! That's what I said!" Draco replied, rolling his eyes. Harry had joined them after the prefect meeting and Draco had wasted no time in filling his boyfriend in.

"It won't be that bad," Hermione said from behind her Ancient Runes book.

"Yes it will. I hate dancing, and I hate dressing up, and I especially hate being gawked at _while_ I'm dressed up and dancing," Harry complained.

"Then don't go," Hermione shrugged.

"That's not an option. I won't feed Draco to the wolves. It's Christmas!"

Hermione peeked around her book in time to see Draco giving Harry a love-struck look and rolled her eyes. She stood up.

"Well, looks like you need to learn to dance then. I'm going to go see Severus; I want to forewarn him about this ball," Hermione said.

"Oh shit, I forgot about Snape. Yeah, you have it worse; you're right," Harry said and automatically ducked the pillow she sent flying at him.

Five minutes later she was knocking on Snape's door to his quarters.

"Ah, Hermione, what a…pleasant…surprise," Snape drawled when he answered the door.

Smiling cheekily at him, she walked through the door and followed him to his library.

"To what do I owe the honor of your company?" he said as he settled himself behind his desk and continued grading.

"I just had a Head Student meeting with the Headmaster and I felt the need to forewarn you that he's announcing tonight at dinner that there is to be a Yule ball."

Snape snorted. "Of course. I'm not surprised at all. Very well. Shall I send out for chocolate strawberries and giant balloons, or will this suffice for me asking you to accompany me?"

"I'd prefer the chocolate strawberries, now that you mention it," Hermione said nonchalantly as she flopped into one of his chairs.

"Sorry, fresh out."

"Damn."

"Do you have proper attire for the ball, or will you need me to purchase a dress for you?" Snape asked.

"You don't have to buy me anything, even if I didn't have 'proper attire'," she said. "But no, I do not. I was going to use this next Hogsmeade weekend to go looking. However, I know it's not a smart idea for me to be out so I think I may owl order it from a catalog."

"Well, if you don't have sufficient funds, let me know and I will help. Also, let me know as soon as you know what color your dress is so I can match accordingly," he told her.

"But black goes with everything, Severus," she laughed.

"Ha…ha," Snape drawled as he continued grading.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

"You have all done very well so far. I must say that I'm very pleased and impressed to your level of dedication," Professor McGonagall was saying. "I confess, I did not believe that we would reach transformation by the end of the school year, but it looks like we will."

"Are we ready now, Professor?" Harry asked with excitement in his eyes.

"Oh no, we're just progressing faster than I thought. Have you all been keeping up with your meditating?"

There was a round of "yes, professor" from the three students sitting on the Transfiguration classroom floor.

"Excellent. Today, we will be doing a deeper form. We will actually be attempting to change certain features. This means, if done correctly, you may get some idea of what your animal will be."

"I always thought you never saw until the time comes to change. Like a big surprise," Draco said.

"A common misconception. However, do not be fooled by the slight feature change today. It is obvious that you will wish to speculate over it, but do not read too much into it or get your hopes up. When I first tried this, I had sprouted whiskers by the end of the session. I admit that I fancied myself a lion or cheetah for some time," she said as she smiled slightly at the soft snickers from her students. "I thought I was going to be a ferocious beast. Imagine my surprise when I changed for the first time into a little kitty."

Hermione, Draco, and Harry were laughing full out by this time.

"You must've been disappointed. How did you deal with that?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, I was. But in the first few weeks after your first full transformation, you're supposed to change at least 5 times a week for about 2-3 weeks to get your body used to it and not revert back. I did it every single day for 3 weeks and as I roamed my neighborhood or house, I realized that being a cat had its advantages and I should just be lucky I was able to pull off the transformation. Now, I'm extremely happy with my animal." She looked around at their faces. "Many people get disappointed with their animal for the first few days. However, I have never heard of someone who did not learn to love it by the end of the 3 week period."

Hermione, Draco, and Harry looked at each other with increasing excitement. They couldn't wait to get to that stage. At that moment, something silvery and bright burst through the closed door as if it weren't there, and lightly trotted up to the professor.

"The potion is complete. I'm just bottling it, and then I will be up there. Give me less than 5 minutes," the beautiful doe said in a deep unmistakable baritone and disappeared.

The classroom was silent for a few moments as the three students stared. Two of them stared at the spot where the doe had vanished, the other stared at Harry.

"You ok?" Draco asked, cocking his head.

Harry blinked rapidly and seemed to shake himself. He turned and gave Draco a fleeting smile. "I'm fine. I had just never seen her. I had heard that she was his patronus, but…," he said and trailed off.

"Who?"

"Lily Ev-Potter." Snape said, leaning against the doorframe and holding a box. He looked at McGonagall. "Do let me know if Draco's body starts elongating and sprouts white fur. I missed him being turned into a ferret his 4th year and would love to see it."

Hermione and Harry roared with laughter as Draco flipped him off, the tense moment broken.

"Severus, would you mind showing them your animagus form? I believe they tire of seeing me become a cat, and I would like to give them more chances to see a transformation in action," McGonagall asked.

"You never told me you were an animagus!" Draco said.

Shrugging, Snape replied, "You never asked."

"Well, can you show us? The only anamagi I've ever seen have been Professor McGonagall and Wormtail," Draco sneered at the name.

Snape gave a long, suffering sigh and shrugged himself away from the doorframe, stepped into the classroom, and shut the door. He put his box down and said, "I suppose."

The three friends watched in silence and awe as their Potions Master closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He slowly opened them again and, without warning, jumped lightening fast at the students on the floor who all fell back on their hands trying to get away from the animal their professor had changed into mid-jump.

Professor McGonagall, who had been watching the friends instead of Snape, was rolling on her desk with laughter at the looks on their faces.

Hermione had been the closest one to the door, and therefore the closest one to Snape. Her Potions Master was currently staring her straight in the eye, being about eye level to where she sat. Hesitantly, she reached up and softly pet the huge black panther on his head.

His eyes closed momentarily and a sound almost like a purr came out before he realized what he was doing. When his eyes snapped back open, he grinned (which, on a panther, looked frightening) and leaned back slightly, tensing his body.

"Severus," McGonagall warned, still wiping her eyes from laughing so hard.

Too late though, for Snape had already pounced, jumping over a startled Hermione and landing mere inches from Harry's face, who yelped and scrambled backwards.

An almost hacking type noise came from the panther, who rolled over on his back and side to side. It was obvious that Snape was laughing his ass off.

Draco, who had finally gotten over the shock of a panther pouncing at them, was looking at his godfather in awe. "Well, I guess this animagus makes sense," he laughed. "Great for stealth and blending in."

The panther changed back into their teacher, even though he was still on his back laughing. Getting up, he grabbed the box and handed it to McGonagall.

"Here you are, Minerva," he said, still smiling, and then walked out the door.

XXX

"Well, I'm obviously going to be some type of feline…," Harry said about two hours later as they headed up to dinner.

Harry had grown whiskers during the meditation and lesson. Hermione's hands had turned into paws, but no one had an assumption as to what she could be. Draco was basically walking on cloud nine after realizing that his nose had hardened into a beak. He knew of no ferrets that had beaks.

"I'm going to die if you become a kitten or something," Draco said as they entered the Great Hall.

"At least you both know around what you'll be. Do you know how many animals have paws?" Hermione laughed.

"I know we aren't supposed to get our hopes up or dwell too much on it, but McGonagall was right; it's hard not to speculate," Draco replied. "I wonder what kind of awesome bird I'll be. Maybe I'll be a bald eagle, or a condor; something huge or ferocious."

"Or maybe you'll be a pygmy parrot or a pretty pink flamingo," Harry said conversationally as he grabbed for the plate of chicken.

"Hilarious," Draco said while Hermione and Harry laughed.

Hermione reached for her pumpkin juice and noticed that the laughter had broken off and Draco was abnormally still next to her. She glanced up at him and followed his line of vision until she saw the owl coming towards them with a package.

The owl landed with a thump in front of them and promptly took off again. As Hermione reached for the box, however, Draco smacked her on the hand.

"OW! What was that for?"

"Are you mental?" he hissed at her. "You didn't even scan it for curses!"

Harry was nodding furiously beside him and poking at the box with his wand.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione let out a short laugh. "Guys, it's cool. It's my dress for the ball."

"What?" Harry looked confused.

"I decided to owl order my dress for the ball instead of get one at Hogsmeade." She tapped the box with her wand and instantly shrunk it to the size of a matchbook and pocketed it. "Speaking of which, have you bought dress robes? It's this Friday."

"I still have my old robes; I'll be fine," Harry said, waving it off and digging into his food. He looked up at his friends with a full mouth to find them staring at him incredulously. "Wha?"

Draco looked torn between disgust at his boyfriend's manners and wanting to kiss him for being cute.

"Harry, you wore those in your FOURTH YEAR. They won't fit you now," Hermione said.

"I'll do an extension charm or something on them. I'll be fine."

Hermione and Draco just shook their heads and laughed.

XXX

"SHIT!"

Hermione just rolled her eyes at the sound of Harry's voice and Draco's laughter from the common area of their rooms. She was in the middle of charming her hair when she heard him, so she threw on a satin nightie (since it was closest to her and she was only in her underwear) and walked out to the commons room.

"What happened?" She was staring at Draco who was rolling on the couch laughing in just a shirt and his dress robe pants, looking like he was in the middle of getting dressed as well. Harry was standing in the middle of the room looking pissed.

His dress robe pants were a mess. One leg was tattered and so short it was above his knee, where as the other was long enough to pass his foot and drag on the floor.

"I obviously can't fix fucking robes, that's what," Harry snapped at her. He apologized a moment later when he saw her raised eyebrow. "Sorry. But I'm screwed."

Hermione sighed. "Harry, why must you be difficult? First, you could've just bought new robes. Second, if you insisted on keeping these, you could've fixed them in an easier way."

"Oh yeah? How?" Harry asked skeptically.

"DOBBY!" Hermione yelled.

A loud crack was heard and the elf stood in the room.

"What can Dobby do for Hermione?"

"Can you fix Harry's robes? He doesn't know what he's doing."

Dobby looked at Harry and started laughing, which got Draco going again.

"Oh, Master Harry, you should've called Dobby. Dobby could have fixed them quick." Dobby snapped his fingers and Harry's pants rightened themselves.

"Thanks Dobby!" Harry said and started to walk away, but the elf froze him in place.

"Dobby is not finished, Master Harry. Dobby is making you look good for boyfriend Draco," the elf said as he walked around Harry's immobile body.

"Apparently, immobilizing someone doesn't stop a blush," Hermione noted conversationaly, and looked at Draco to see him blushing slightly as well. She rolled her eyes.

The elf was done making a circuit around Harry and clapped his hands excitedly. "Dobby knows what to do!" He held his hands out in front of him and slowly dragged them down, as if he was running them down the fabric.

Now Draco was standing up, no longer laughing. His eyes were huge and his mouth looked only a few seconds from hanging opened. Hermione's eyebrows rose close to her hairline and she had to admit, she was impressed.

"How do I look?" Harry asked, twisting his head and body to try to get a better look at himself.

"Bloody fantastic! Dobby! Could you help me as well? I want to look good for Master Harry!" Draco asked the elf, who grinned and nodded.

Harry's robes, originally a green that matched his eyes, now had black piping around the edges. The robe part had been magically tairlored and now fit Harry's new physique perfectly. Dobby had even done Harry's hair, keeping it messy but somehow making it look like he wanted it that way. He even changed Harry's glasses; gone were the round frames of his youth. In their place were more fashionable rectangular frames, making him look extremely attractive.

"Come, Draco, and Dobby will help you too!" Dobby said as he walked towards Draco's room. Draco ran over and gave Harry a huge kiss and dragged him to his rooms as well. Hermione wondered how long it would actually take them to get dressed.

Hermione's dress was a simple, yet elegant one. It was black and fit her like a glove. She bought it with Severus in mind and was determined to make his eyes pop at least once. The neckline wasn't a deep plunge, but instead rounded, almost like a bikini top. From there, it form fit her waist until dropping off, so she could actually move. Even though it was loose fabric, it still somehow managed to cling to her…assests…beautifully. The straps of the gown had fake diamonds in a cluster starting right above her breasts on either side. From the cluster, the fabric started and made itself into a halter top. The back of her dress was non existent until right under the small of her back. Hermione figured the dress had to be charmed for it to form fit in the front but not have a back. Charms were also doing the job that a bra would, since she couldn't wear one with the dress.

"Winky!" Hermione called and the sound of an elf popping into her room was heard.

"Yes, missus? Can Winky help you?"

"I hope so. I want to make my hair look nice but I've never been good with hair. Dobby helped Harry and Draco but I thought a girls' touch would be better. Could you please help me?"

Winky's face split into a huge grin. "Of course! Winky does good hair! You is right not to ask Dobby; Dobby only does boy hair. Dobby woud mess Miss Hermione's hair up something terrible!"

"Excellent! I was thinking maybe half up, half down again-" Hermione started but was cut off by the elf.

"No, no, no, Miss Hermione! That hair is wrong for that dress. Winky will make you even more beautiful."

"Oh. Ok. Well, you're the expert."

Five minutes later, Hermione was glowing in her mirror.

"Winky! This is wonderful!"

"You is showing too much neck to cover it," the elf replied.

"Thank you so much!"

"You is welcome. Winky is going back to help in the kitchens now." The elf apparated away.

Hermione turned and looked at her hair again. Winky had put it up in a simple up-do, and had somehow turned it into wonderful. Loose tendrils of hair were falling perfectly on her neck and around her face, the whole hairstyle held in place with a charm. Winky had even done her make-up perfectly.

She put on the black stilettos that Severus had got her for Halloween, slipped her wand into a holder on her leg, and she was ready.

Walking out into the common room, she heard whistles and cat calls before turning to see Harry and Draco standing by the fireplace waiting for her.

"Shut up," she said, laughing. "Draco, you look great!"

Draco's robes were black with grey lining around the edges. They looked more or less like Harry's, but a different color. His hair was carefully slicked back.

"Thanks. But not like you, Hermione. You look beautiful!" Draco said.

"Really, Hermione, he's right. You're gorgeous," Harry told her, smiling.

"Aw, thanks you guys!" She hugged them both. "Let's get going before Severus gets pissed and we miss the whole ball in detention."


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

"So, is the git meeting you at the stairs again?" Draco asked as they descended to the Great Hall.

"Yes, Draco, the _git_ is meeting her here again," came Snape's voice from behind them, making Harry jump.

"How do you bloody do that?"

"You learn some tricks when you're a spy for two decades, Mr. Potter," Snape said as he rolled his eyes. He turned and finally looked at Hermione, and she saw his eyes widen slightly. She knew that if she was able to even slightly break through his calm façade, she did her job right. "Hermione, you look…very beautiful."

"Thank you, Severus. You look very good as well," she said. It was the truth, even if he didn't look _much_ different. His dress robes were, of course, black. However, they had dark green accents and the material was obviously very expensive. The black was so deep, it seemed to have been woven out of the deepest shadows.

Noticing some students milling about and watching, Hermione walked over to him and linked her arm with his. His face showed no surprise, except for the curiosity in his eyes. She went up on her toes to whisper in his ear and he had to bend down.

"The students hanging about are horrible at spying and being sneaky. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how bad the rumor is for it to get back to Lucius, so I decided to finally initiate something between us. I really am trying to get better," she whispered, delighted to see the small shudder it produced. Pushing her luck, she leaned in slightly closer until her lips were mere centimeters from his ear. "By the way, you really _do _look bloody amazing."

She went back down on her feet, smirking slightly at Harry and Draco. Then she felt him next to _her_ ear.

"Don't play with fire, my dear; it's dangerous when out of control and you're unable to stop it," he hissed in her ear, and she couldn't stop the shiver that ran through her and closing her eyes.

Snape straightened up. "Shall we?" he asked, smirking.

Draco and Harry just rolled their eyes and headed to the Hall. When they all walked in, no one spared them a glance. Everyone was too busy dancing.

"Go dance with your friends; I'll get you a drink. I will come find you in a bit, and we'll dance," Snape told her.

"Ok, Severus," she answered, and went on her toes again to plant a kiss on his cheek. He gave her hand a chaste kiss and swept off to find Dumbledore.

"Wow, Hermione, you look great!"

Hermione turned to see Neville walking up to their group.

"Thank you, Neville! You do too!"

"You're turning everyone's head. I figured I'd get in my compliment before Professor Snape starts to hand out detentions to the ones he hears," Neville laughed.

"An excellent idea, Mr. Longbottom. I will have to keep that in mind when I start to get annoyed of the boys here pawing over her," Snape drawled, appearing behind Neville with what looked like a glass of punch. Neville's face paled but he managed to nod to Snape and step out of his way.

"Here you are Hermione; in case you get thirsty. I'm going to make a patrol and see if I can't find the Headmaster as I do so." He leaned down and gave her a swift kiss on her forehead before he walked off again.

"Thank you, Severus!" she called to his retreating back. "That man…," she laughed and shook her head.

"Alright then! Who's up for some dancing?" Harry said, clapping his hands once in a perfect imitation of Draco. Apparently Draco thought so too by the amused look in his eyes.

XXX

An hour later, Hermione had to stop dancing to take a break. Draco and Harry just wouldn't quit. She had no idea that Draco had rhythm at all, but he could _dance_.

Harry was normally too shy to dance, but being with Draco looked like it was doing him some good. Both of them, actually. They both had a chance to be themselves without caring about what everyone thought.

She conjured up a glass and summoned some water from her wand as she relaxed and watched her friends dance. Neville was adorable when trying to dance, but he didn't look shy at all; he was just happy to be around friends. Luna was doing some odd jig, and Seamus and Dean almost looked like they were battle-dancing. She felt a brief heartache for her missing friend; it had been awhile since she had thought about Ron. Looking out at her friends, she knew that if Ron could have gotten past his problems with Draco, then they would all be having a blast right now. It wasn't fair that he couldn't be happy here with them.

A flash of red hair caught her eye and she almost choked.

"Hey, 'Mione, you ok?" Charlie asked, thumping her on her back as she coughed.

"Charlie Weasley, you have to stop doing that to me!" she laughed when she could breathe. She explained how she had been thinking of Ron, and how he had suddenly popped into view again. He had a habit of doing that.

Charlie nodded and looked out to where she had started gazing again.

"He would've enjoyed this," he said quietly, taking a drink from his flask.

"Yeah, he would have," she answered, eyes watering slightly.

"Not just because of the fun; he would've loved it because this party is supposed to mean that it's all over. I can almost imagine him cracking jokes about it," he continued. Hermione felt a tear start to run down her face. Charlie took another huge drink. "Sometimes…even though I feel horrible about it…I think that if I could have just _one_ of them back, I would choose to give life to Ron again. He was too young. It sounds terrible; I should want my father or Percy back just as much. In fact, I shouldn't be able to choose between which family member should live or die. But I can; I would want Ron back."

"Me too, Charlie," she said, sniffing and trying to control herself.

"Hey hey, it's ok. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have upset you," Charlie said, and grabbed her into a hug. He smelled like firewhiskey and stumbled slightly.

Hermione pushed him slightly on the chest before he could wrap his arms around her, stopping him from completing the hug.

"It's ok, Charlie. I just have to learn to control my emotions," she laughed, trying to cover up the awkwardness.

"Hey, I was just trying to hug you. I don't think Snape would get mad at that."

"It's not whether he would get mad or not; it's how it would look," she said, keeping her eyes on the dance floor. Harry had noticed Charlie and was dancing slower and gazing at him with narrowed eyes.

"You never cared before."

"That's because I wasn't thinking before," she hissed, attempting to communicate to him to keep his voice down. "Severus already has to endure enough shit because of me; I won't encourage rumors to add to it."

"Just give me a damn hug, Hermione."

She raised one eyebrow and finally looked at him. "No. Stopping pushing this Charlie. Besides, you're drunk."

"You hug Harry and Draco in public."

"They also happen to be gay, so there's not much people can do with that."

"So I get to be the friend that stands here and comforts you when you cry but don't get any of the benefits?"

"And exactly _what_ benefits are you talking about?"

"Don't act like that, 'Mione. You know what I mean."

"No no, do explain."

"Oh my god, you're being ridiculous. You can't even hug a friend because of him!"

"No, I could if I chose to. He doesn't dictate how I live. But because of what people were already saying and after that little spat in the entrance hall that time, I decided that it's not safe to hug _you_ in public without causing more damage to Severus."

"Fuck Severus. Oh but I guess you already do, don't you? God, don't be such a bitch! Do you know how long it took me to figure out what to say to you right now to get you to hug me-"

"You PURPOSELY tried to make me cry? You used your DEAD BROTHER to try and make a MOVE on me?" Hermione's voice was still somewhat low, but she was working hard to keep it that way.

"Listen, I just meant-"

"You just meant that you should walk away _now_, Mr. Weasley," came the voice from behind him. "I believe the lady's answer was no."

Charlie spun around to see Snape standing with his arms crossed across his chest, looking down at him like someone would look at something disgusting.

"Shove off, Snape," Charlie said, and then lowered his voice to where no one but those two could hear him. "It's not as if you _actually_ care about her. Leave her to someone that _does_."

Impossibly, Snape's eyes seemed to darken. His voice was dangerously low when he responded.

"If you're even half as intelligent as some of the animals you care for, you would leave my sight; _now_. You will not accost Hermione in such a manner again. I can assure you that I _care_ more for her than you ever could, and _I _am not just thinking with my _dick_."

Hermione's eyes widened and she heard amused snorts coming from behind her. Harry and Draco had apparently decided to come see what was happening and had heard Snape's reply to Charlie.

"Fuck you, Snape. Do you really think I'm afraid of you?" Charlie challenged.

Snape stepped closer and loomed over him, bending slightly to get closer to Charlie's height; the whole move was executed perfectly to intimidate.

"Need I remind you what I was?"

Charlie paled slightly, but stood his ground. "You were a _spy_. You worked for Dumbledore, so don't think you can intimidate me with your big bad Dark Mark. I'm old enough to know that you were 'good' and 'on our side'."

Snape smirked and drew slightly nearer. "How do you think I came to be a spy? If you haven't reached the conclusion yet, I'll tell you," Snape paused, and then pretended to look around. His voice took on a faux whisper. "I was a real Death Eater. I was in the Dark Lord's service for years before turning to Dumbledore. Do you really want to know the details of what a willing Death Eater can get up to in a few years time? I have plenty of stories."

With that being said, Snape straightened up again, giving his most evil smirk he could muster. It all seemed to be too much, combined with the alcohol, and Charlie immediately vomited.

Stepping around the embarrassed professor, Snape extended his hand to Hermione. "Care to dance?"

"Gladly."

They swept off without a backwards glance.

A slow song had just started playing, so Snape pulled Hermione close to him and started the dance. Hermione splayed one hand on Severus' shoulder and clasped his hand in her other while she laid her head on his chest. His arm came around her waist and glided them along the floor effortlessly.

"What happened? I heard you say something about him using the youngest Weasley to make a move on you," he asked.

She told him what happened, word for word, and felt his arm tense slightly on her waist.

"Thank you, Hermione. I feel sorry that you had to distance yourself from your…friend…because of me, but I also know that you understand why."

"Oh stop; I'm fine. Honestly. When I realized what he was doing…well…that's not much of a friend. You're more important to me than keeping him around anyway," she shrugged.

He leaned in by her ear and said, "You're very passionate when you're angry. It made you look even more beautiful. I may have to take Longbottom's advice after all." He chuckled when he felt her shiver.

She lifted her head before he could pull his back up and whispered to him, "Truth be told, I only wore this for you. Therefore, I have no interest in any other _boy_ here staring at me. I only desire you to stare."

At the word 'desire', Snape exhaled louder than normal and turned to capture her mouth in a kiss. This was unlike the kiss they shared at the masque; no, this was the unrestrained, impulsive kiss like they shared in his quarters.

Hermione gave a slight moan into his mouth, and Snape squeezed her to him more firmly. When they finally broke apart, they were both panting slightly, yet still dancing.

Hermione felt something poking her thigh and looked up at him mischievously. He quirked an eyebrow in curiosity at her.

Pressing closer, Hermione practically purred, "Is that your wand in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

His eyes were almost dilated in desire as he slowly snaked a hand down her side. She felt her eyes wanting to roll in the back of her skull at the touch. He kept sliding over her body until he got near where his waist met her body. In a flash, his hand was up by her face, twirling-

"It was my wand," he said, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

She couldn't help it. She threw her head back and laughed, noticing a second later that he had joined her.

XXX

"Have you decided what you will be doing for the Christmas holidays?" Hermione asked Severus later. They had just entered his rooms, walking there together for any stray students to see.

"Probably what I normally do: sit around here and enjoy the silence. Drink?"

"Please. But that doesn't sound like much fun! You should come to Grimmauld Place with Harry, Draco, and I. I won't lie; a lot comes from selfish reasons. I don't fancy playing the third wheel," she laughed.

Sitting down opposite of Hermione, Snape smirked. "In what universe did that invitation actually work, Hermione?"

She sighed wistfully. "A girl can dream, you know."

"So obviously the Headmaster decided to give you permission to leave for the holidays. Will he accompany you there?"

"No. Since Harry's place is the former site for the Order, Dumbledore knows it's safe. He is, however, making me floo in from his office."

"Who will be there?"

"Well, obviously us three and Kreacher and Dobby. Then I believe Harry is thinking of extending the branch so to speak towards the Weasleys."

"Brave. Is this more for his sake or for Draco's?" Snape smirked, sipping from his firewhiskey.

"Both I think," she laughed and took another drink. "Harry's scared of what Mrs. Weasley might think, now that it's public knowledge that he's gay. And he really _really_ wants them to get to know Draco."

"Does he believe that Molly will take the news badly?"

"Yeah; the Malfoy's and Weasleys have always been enemies, especially Lucius and Mr. Weasley. He's afraid Mrs. Weasley might see it as an insult to her husband if he decides to be with Draco, even if he's NOT his father. Plus, Mrs. Weasley really wanted us both to be part of the family for real instead of just honorary members, so we're both expecting some frostiness."

"Yes, I seem to remember the young Weasley girl vying for Mr. Potter's affections. Did Molly wish to see you with Ron?"

Hermione laughed slightly. "Yep. But Ron and I could never. Him and I tried to kiss once and it was like kissing my brother. We both laughed and decided it was never going to happen. But you can bet she has the idea of Charlie and me in her head now."

"And Mr. Potter invited the whole Weasley clan?"

"Yep."

"That should be interesting."

"And that's an understatement. But I'm excited to see her again, even if she's disappointed in me. And as much as it surprises me, I really miss the twins," she laughed.

"The Weasley twins are…in a class of their own. They were banes throughout their years here, yet I won't deny their intelligence."

Two hours later saw both people laughing and in good spirits, mainly thanks to the spirits they imbibed.

"I remember in third year when Neville's boggart stepped out and it was you!" Hermione was refilling both glasses of firewhiskey with a shaking hand as she laughed.

"Don't even mention that! You wouldn't believe the taunting I had to endure! Especially when it got out that his boggart-me was suddenly wearing a dress!"

Hermione was clutching her side as she laughed. "Surely no teachers would ever _dare_ to poke fun at the big, bad Professor Snape?"

Snape's glare made her laugh harder, which made him lose the glare and start laughing as well.

"Not as much, no. I'm mainly talking of Albus. He's the only one who's ever been allowed to get away with teasing me. And you now, apparently."

"I'm honored."

"As you should be."

They sat for a few minutes, staring into the fire in a comfortable silence before Hermione broke it.

"How did it feel?"

"Hm?"

"When you knew, once and for all this last time, that you were free."

Snape gave a short derisive laugh. "Free? I'm not free; not yet. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I was."

"What do you mean? Voldemort is gone! How are you not free?"

Snape just turned his head and looked at her, raising one eyebrow. After a few moments, Hermione mouthed a silent "oh."

"I'm sor-," Hermione began but was cut off by him.

"Don't apologize. This is my life. I could've told Albus no in the office those months ago, but he was right; this is the only plan we have a shot at working. When this is all over, and you're safe again and Lucius is out of the picture, then maybe I'll be free. Until then, I will do what Albus asks of me because my debt to him is never-ending."

Hermione sat contemplating that for a few minutes before getting up and walking towards him, where she then got on her knees in front of his chair.

"That's basically how I feel towards you. No," she said, cutting him off as he tried to respond, "don't tell me I shouldn't. You protected me since I was a first year, and now, when you're finally able to be your own person, you're told to protect me again. You have no idea the gratitude I feel towards you, Severus. And I'm just sorry that you have to go through this with me."

Snape sat looking at her for a few minutes, his eyes slightly softer than normal. Then he took a drink and smirked.

"Well, I can't say it's been _all_ bad. It's been awhile since I've danced with a beautiful woman at a ball, or had a woman in my quarters that can actually hold a conversation."

Hermione laughed. "Well, it's been…forever…since I've had a date to a ball, had a partner who can dance without stepping on my feet, who actually thinks I'm beautiful, and can speak about subjects other than quidditch."

"You had Krum."

"Touché; I forgot about him. He still didn't live up to the rest on the list."

"Surely he thought you were beautiful?"

"He told me I looked very attractive and he was happy to have me on his arm, but I saw his wandering eyes. It bothered me then, but looking back, he was young and only asked me because I was the only girl who didn't go crazy when I saw him," she smirked and downed the rest of her drink. She stood up shakily and set her glass down on the table. When Snape reached out to steady her, she fell onto his lap. She started giggling like mad when he made an OOMPH! sound as she landed.

Chuckling softly with her, Snape started playing with the tendrils of her curly hair. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Well, I for one thought you were beautiful. To hell with Krum."

Hermione turned in his lap so she was facing him, cupped his face, stared for a few seconds, and then kissed him.

Minutes later when they came up for air, Hermione rested her forehead against his.

"I can't keep letting this happen," he whispered, and slowly shook his head against hers.

Hermione sat up ramrod straight and glared. "And why not?"

Snape sighed. "Hermione, we've been through this. I'm much too old, I'm your teacher, you're much too young, you were forced into this, you deserve-"

"Enough, Severus. Let's see: the age difference doesn't bother me seeing how age gaps in the wizarding world are accepted because of how long we live, as well as my father is 15 years older than my mother. You're barely my teacher, and we both know it. Technically, you aren't even my teacher anymore, according to Hogwarts records. We both know I could take my NEWTS tomorrow and pass with flying colors, as the muggles say. Me being too young, again, doesn't bother me unless you're insinuating AGAIN how immature and rash I am about all of this, and in that case I'm going to be pissed off; _again_. I was NOT forced into this; if you remember, I agreed mere seconds before you did when we were arguing. I could've said no and insisted the Headmaster find another way. And if you were about to start saying I deserve _better_, then you need to think again. It is _you_ who deserves better than a teenager, but unfortunately for you, I'm stubborn."

Both people sat glaring at one another for a full minute before Snape broke the silence.

"You don't know what you're saying. You're drunk. When you're sober, you won't-"

"_Accio!_" Hermione had held her hand out towards his storeroom while maintaining eye contact with him as she said the spell wandlessly. A moment later, two small vials of bright blue liquid sailed into her hand. Before he could even object, she promptly uncorked one bottle and downed it. For a few seconds she sat with her eyes closed, then shivered and finally looked at him once more.

"There; the sobriety potion kicked in and now I'm blissfully sober. Shall I start again? The age difference doesn't bother me seeing how age gaps in the wizarding world are accepted-"

"I get it, Hermione."

"No, I don't think you do."

He took the second bottle and drank his potion. A few seconds later, he looked her straight in the eye.

"I get it. But that doesn't make me happy about it. This was never supposed to happen. This was supposed to be a clean cut assignment; we were supposed to fool everyone, capture and stop Lucius, then you would ride off into the sunset or whatever the heroine does and I would live out the rest of my years here. It was my plan, Hermione."

"That's a lousy plan."

"I didn't say it was ideal."

"Good, because it's not ideal. You deserve better than to live out your remaining years in a dungeon alone."

"Perhaps I don't," he murmured.

"Severus Snape, stop it right now. I mean, seriously! I have had to attend Harry bloody Potter's Pity Party more times than I would like to this year, and I'm not about to do the same with you. Listen to me, and listen good: you deserve a lot better than what you've been given in life. No, listen. You made some bad choices, and some worse ones. You then spent the next half of your life until last year _paying_ for those choices. You refuse to allow yourself anything good, seeming to think that you will never be good enough. You act like you're tainted, but you aren't! No. Don't try and gesture to your arm; you know very well that it doesn't matter anymore. You have MORE than paid for whatever sins you felt you needed to pay for. Now shut up and kiss me already!"

They were once again locked in a glaring battle until Snape muttered something about her being the death of him and closed the gap between them.

XXX

"And just where were _you_ last night, young lady?" Draco asked Hermione as she walked into their quarters; Harry sat holding Draco's hand and smirked. "Or do I really not want to know?"

"Honestly, you probably don't want to know," she said and both boys grimaced, "but so you know, Severus and I fell asleep on his couch."

"Oh, well that's not so bad," Harry said as he picked up his _Quibbler_ again.

"Well, it _did_ come after an amazing snogging session that had us moving from his chair TO the couch," she amended. Harry just closed his eyes and let his head thunk against the back of the couch and groaned while Draco and Hermione laughed.

"Ok, well, I'm happy you're back. We need to leave for Harry's tonight, but first I have an early Christmas present for you and I, Hermione," Draco said, jumping up from the couch and rubbing his hands together. He flicked his wand and something huge and covered in a sheet appeared before the couch. "I've been working on this for a few months now, I'll have you know. I started off doing it for me, because I'm essentially a selfish creature by nature, but then I started to think you could get some enjoyment out of it too; after all, you grew up with muggles."

"I'm not following," she said, looking bemused. Harry was smiling broadly now and had put aside his magazine once again to watch.

"You have no idea how hard it was to get this to work around all the castle enchantments. When I finally got it, though, Harry asked me to do it to his iPid" -Harry whispered to him softly-"iPOD," Draco finished.

"Ok, I give up," Hermione laughed.

"Let me be the first to present you with the first ever Head Boy & Girl…TELEVISION!" Draco yelled and pulled the sheet off with a flourish. Underneath was a beautiful 52" flat screen resting in a beautiful entertainment center.

"Oh my god, Draco…" she whispered as she walked closer. Connected to the T.V. were wires that almost seemed to spark and she could feel the magical energy from here. The shelves to the left and right of the T.V. were behind glass doors and were full of DVD's and VHS tapes. A dual player rested behind a small glass door under the television. "This…this is AMAZING!" She ran over and hugged him.

"I know, right! It's so cool! I amaze myself sometimes! It took forever, but I got it. Now, we don't get cable but I programmed a way for you to be able to use your wand to type in the name of show you want and it will attempt to find the seasons of it. And, of course, I have a vast array of movies to choose from. I've been collecting them since I started taking the Muggle Studies class," he said proudly.

Hermione walked back over to browse the movies. His collection was huge. He seemed to favor action movies with loud explosions almost as much as he enjoyed the Disney movies.

"This is wonderful, Draco. Thank you," she told him.

"You're welcome. Now, what say we settle down for a nice movie before we all pack? Don't give me that look; we can pack in under ten seconds. Magic, remember?" Hermione rolled her eyes at him, but smiled and sat down on Harry's other side. "There, now…I think we should watch _Armageddon_. The way muggles destroy things without magic is amazing; and all in the name of entertainment. I definitely wouldn't want to be on that cleanup crew when they were done filming. Imagine, rebuilding a whole city that you destroyed just for a movie. Good thing they got it in one take!"

Hermione and Harry just tried to keep from laughing as Draco started the movie.

XXX

"Hey Dobby, hey Kreacher; I'm back!" Harry yelled as Hermione and Draco stepped out of the floo behind him. Less than a second later, two elves stood in front of Harry welcoming him home, one wearing a green and gold toga-like uniform, and the other wearing a child's sized Chudly Cannons jersey and child size pajama pants with a mismatch of socks.

"Kreacher already has dinner cooking. It will be ready in 45 minutes Master Harry," Kreacher said, and took the coat Harry was automatically holding out to him. Kreacher then walked over to Draco and Hermione and asked for theirs.

"Dobby has finished cleaning the bedrooms like Harry asked him to. Harry Potter's bedroom is immaculate, and all other rooms have been thoroughly washed and the beds freshly laundered and made."

"Thanks you two! You guys are great," Harry told them and started walking towards the front room. "Wow! You guys, this is awesome!"

Hermione and Draco walked into the front room to see a massive Christmas tree stopping just two feet short of the ceiling sat in the corner of the room. Boxes of decorations were on the ground next to it, waiting to be put on.

Hermione clapped her hands together and squealed slightly; Draco just looked confused.

"But…why are the decorations in boxes? Shouldn't the elves have put them up by now? Is this a muggle Christmas tradition?" Questions were coming rapidly from Draco as he tried to process the bare tree.

Harry laughed. "No, I told them not to decorate it. And yes, it's kind of a muggle tradition. In muggle houses, the families decorate the tree together, or in some cases, they let their children do it."

"But…why? Elves could do it faster."

"Muggles don't have elves."

"I keep forgetting; poor muggles. Why don't they get someone to hang them for them?"

"Because the families _enjoy_ hanging them up together."

"But wh-," Draco started.

"For god's sake, Draco, it's for fun," Hermione said, laughing.

"…I'm not following," he answered.

"Listen," Harry said, "muggles like to decorate the tree with their families for a few reasons: one, because it's a way to spend time as a family around the holidays, and two because it's fun. Think about the trees at Hogwarts, the times you stayed there for the holidays; the trees always looked the same. The decorations were always spot on, never crooked, perfect…and always in the same spots. That's so boring. But now…you get a chance to create a tree to _your_ liking; every year it looks different. I knew it had been awhile since Hermione had gotten a chance to decorate a tree, I was never invited to help at the Dursley's, and you had no idea about it at all, so I told Dobby and Kreacher to let us handle it this year. As a surprise," Harry finished almost bashfully.

"You're adorable, you know that?" Draco told him. Harry just beamed at him. "Well, let's start then! I want to know what it's all about! Unless there's a specific time frame…?" He looked at Hermione.

"My family normally waited until after dinner," Hermione said.

"Ok, after dinner it is then!" Draco looked truly excited now. "What decorations do we have?"

"That's the other fun part," Harry said slyly. "There's obviously boxes of tinsel and other odds and ends here, but I had them lay out some stuff for us to make our own!"

"Ah, like a Crafting Arts project that muggle children do at camp," Draco said knowledgably.

"Arts and Crafts, and yes, something like that. Dobby said he would get us some fun stuff to work with," Harry said.

"Oh yes, Master Harry! Dobby has secured glitter and wood and plastic and paper plates and muggle glue and muggle colored markers and-," Dobby started in.

"Awesome Dobby; you did great," Harry said and they started laughing. A knock at the door halted their laughter, however.

"Who would that be? The Weasley's shouldn't be here for about two days," Draco said, wand automatically pointed at the door.

Harry's wand had been trained on the door instinctively from the first knock, and was staring at the door with the same unwavering intensity he used when in "battle mode."

The knock came again, quicker and almost sounding annoyed, if a knock could sound as such. Harry's face went from calculating to confused, and he walked purposefully towards the door, Draco shadowing him and continually pushing Hermione back.

"Obviously Harry's worried about your safety, stupid, so stay back," Draco hissed at her, making her roll her eyes. Nonetheless, she stayed back but kept her wand trained on the door anyway.

Harry made an arc with his wand in front of the door. Whatever the spell did must have surprised Harry, although Draco and Hermione couldn't see anything. He gave a confused "huh?", lost his battle form, and dropped his wand to his side. Before Draco or Hermione could react, he swung open the door to reveal Severus Snape on the door step.

"About bloody time, Potter; it's cold enough to freeze Bellatrix's tits right off, and she was a bloody ice queen!"

"Well, come in then and warm your bollocks up and stop your bitching," Draco said, recovering fastest.

As Snape strode into the house, Harry shut the door behind him and turned to stare at him, the same confused calculating look still on his face.

"Professor, why were you at my door?"

"I thought it would be rude to come straight through the floo," he said, handing his coat to Kreacher who had come hurrying in.

"O….k….but why would you have needed to come through my floo?"

Hermione sighed. "Isn't it obvious, Harry? Protection. I'm here. Unless something bad has happened?"

"No, nothing bad has happened, Hermione. In fact, the Headmaster sent me out to your parent's house first to set some wards on it for the holidays. You were right with your first assumption."

"But Grimmauld Place can't be infiltrated! That's why Professor Dumbledore allowed us to come here!" Harry sputtered.

"Nothing is set in stone, Mr. Potter," Snape said quietly. "Everything can be infiltrated."

Harry started walking towards the room they had flooed in, but Snape's voice stopped him.

"It's no use flooing him, Mr. Potter. Do you think I readily agreed to this? That I jumped at the opportunity? No. But once Albus has made up his mind…," Snape's voice trailed off. Harry stood still for a few moments longer until Draco walked up behind him and put his hand on his back. Some of the tension visibly left Harry and he sighed heavily.

Turning around, he looked at his professor. "Well, sir, even though the Headmaster has already made up my mind for me, allow me to formally invite you to spend the holidays here with us."

Snape stared at Harry for a few seconds before tilting his head forward slightly in acceptance. "Thank you, Mr. Potter. While I won't insult you by lying and saying it would be my pleasure, I do appreciate the invitation. I shouldn't be a burden on your festivities. Christmas is not one of my favorite holidays, so I will probably spend it in the library. However, I will be making appearances when the Weasley clan gets here, especially if Professor Weasley is invited."

"Of course, sir. And, if you want, you can call me Harry. Obviously I can't force you to-,"

"Although it would be amusing to see him try," Draco added in as Harry glared.

"But honestly, I left the school for the holidays to get away from _school_. This is one of the first holidays I get to do what I want, without a puppet master pulling my strings, and I get to be around people who make me happy. Well, most of them," Harry smirked.

"Puppet master?" Draco asked, confused. But Hermione thought she knew what he was talking about, and looking at Snape she saw that he knew too. Of course he did; he spent over 20 years spying and being under two puppet masters, one being the same as Harry.

Snape seemed to be looking at Harry with something akin to grudging approval. "I shall…try…to remember that…Harry. It may be difficult after years of calling you Potter, however. And you…may call me Severus, for the holidays."

"Thank you…Severus."

An awkward pause followed until Draco broke it, like normal. "Well, I think I could use a drink after that moment. Severus?"

"Please. And tell me you have something other than tea here; cold enough out there to warrant something extra."

Harry started laughing. "Yeah, we do. I was going to save the good stuff for after dinner, but I have some brandy, whiskey, vodka…," Harry trailed off, waving his hand.

"Are those muggle alcohols?" Draco asked.

"Yeah. I sometimes forget that the wizarding world only really has mead and firewhiskey, other than the other things the Hog's Head serves."

"I think I would enjoy some brandy. It's been years since I've had a good muggle brandy," Snape said.

"Well, let's all go to the kitchen then," Hermione said. "Dinner should be done soon, so we can get our drinks and start our decoration making!"

Draco's eyes lit up at her words. "I agree. Severus, I know you'll never actually participate, but you should come and at least join us in the kitchen. We're going to be making muggle decorations for the tree, which then we'll decorate ourselves with no elves!"

Snape rolled his eyes. "I'd rather not, actually."

"Oh come on, Severus," Hermione said, smiling at him. "Don't you want to see Draco's attempt at handling a glue stick and glitter?"

At that, Snape gave a bark of laughter. "When you put it that way, how can I resist?"

Two hours later found the foursome seated around the large dining table in the kitchen, laughing their asses off. Or in Snape's case, chuckling and trying to hide it. The beef stew Kreacher made was almost better than the one from Hogwarts, and there was plenty of wine and other spirits to go around. As a direct result of that, the decorations had suffered.

They went from starting off making snowflakes and house-related decorations to anti-house-related decorations and jokes. Currently, the one being held up causing the laughter was a 6 inch brightly (overly brightly) glittered snake choking a lion. Draco seemed to think the more glitter to make the snake stand out, the better.

"Beautiful, Draco; an absolute masterpiece," Hermione laughed.

"I made this one of Hermione," Harry said, red faced with liquor and laughter. His creation was a 3-D book made out of the thin wood pieces they were using. In small handwriting he had written _Hogwarts: a History_ on it. But what got them all laughing was the worm made out of twisted pipe cleaners coming out of a hole that went through the book. He had glued fake eyes to the top and put a ridiculous amount of brown twisted yarn on the head.

"Very funny," Hermione said, and flipped him off.

"That's not very becoming of a lady, you know," Snape said, smiling slightly at her.

"There are a few things I can do that aren't very becoming of a lady, Severus. Perhaps you'll find out soon," she said back. Harry gagged and Draco laughed while Snape's eyes just widened slightly, and his smirk grew.

"What have you been working on over there, Severus?" Draco asked. After a few glasses of brandy, Harry had finally broken out his "good stuff": 100 year old aged special Reserved Label firewhiskey. According to Draco and Severus, the bottles started at around two hundred galleons. Harry had found the full bottle in his godfather's bedroom. When Snape had a couple of glasses of that as well, Draco was finally able to persuade him to decorate at least one.

Snape held up a paper plate he had been drawing on. In it, there was a picture he had enhanced with magic, for it moved like a flipbook. The scene was Snape and Harry standing face to face, then Snape pushes Harry over. Harry then starts to cry, flooding the bottom of the plate while Snape laughs towards the sky with his fists on his hips, robes billowing, looking like a deranged, dark Superman.

"Charming," Harry said while the table roared in laughter; even Snape gave a few real laughs.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

"Absolutely not."

"But, Severus…"

"No."

"It won't be dangerous…"

"No."

Harry and Draco walked into the living room where Hermione was begging with Snape.

"What's up? Everyone ready?"

"'Everyone' is not going, Mr. Potter. The whole reason I'm here is to protect Hermione, which does not include going out to the store."

"Oh come ON Severus; Lucius isn't going to be at the local Sainsbury's," Draco said, pulling on his coat.

"I repeat, I was sent here for the sole purpose of protecting Hermione-"

"Which you can do if you come with us!" Hermione finished. "Please Severus? I don't want to be locked up." She conjured up the biggest pleading eyes she could without overdoing it. Finally, Snape sighed.

Five minutes later they were in Harry's garage in muggle clothes, three people staring at a car while Harry sat in it.

"I didn't even know you had a garage, let alone a car, Harry. When did you learn to drive?" Hermione asked.

"This last year. It's really therapeutic when you want to be alone. Took a few road trips, started driving to the store instead of apparating, that sort of thing. And I had to add the garage; we're actually going to be going out the back of the house. Severus, maybe you should sit up front."

Snape looked appalled and Draco looked put out at this statement.

"Listen, there's more leg room up front, and Severus _is _a little taller than you Draco," Harry tried explaining.

"It's ok, Mr.- Harry; I will be fine in the back. Draco, stop looking like someone canceled the Yule holiday; it's very unattractive," Severus said, opening the back door for Hermione to get into.

When they were all sitting in the car, it took another few minutes for Draco to figure out the seat belts, and then he wanted to fiddle with everything on the dash.

"So, what is this make and model called?" Severus asked, as Harry reversed out of the garage, ignoring Draco as he turned on the windshield wipers.

"It's a Vauxhall Insignia. It rides great; I love it."

"What's that?"

"That's where I shift gears."

"Can I try to move it?"

"No."

"But I want to make the car go."

"You might make us crash."

"Well, we have impenetrable and cushioning charms for that," Draco said, looking confused. "What are you doing with your feet?"

Harry sighed. "I don't want to wreck my car, and the muggles might wonder if we crash straight into a pole and we don't get a single scratch. My foot is alternating between the three pedals: gas, brake, and clutch. To put the car into gear, I press the clutch. You press the gas to make the car go, and brake to stop or slow it down. I can show you later."

"…can I move it now?"

"No."

Thankfully, they made it to the grocery store in one piece.

"Why are we even here, Harry? It was my understanding that you had _two_ house elves," Snape asked as they walked up to the front; Draco was enthralled by everything around him.

"I do," Harry said indifferently, "but we have an understanding. I don't yell at them and make them punish themselves, and they let me do some of the work. I like to take care of the yard when I'm home on summer, they left the tree for me to decorate, and sometimes when I'm home, they let me go to the store and grab some food for them; especially if it's something specific."

"Woah!"

"Draco, you have to keep moving through the door; people are staring," Hermione said, nudging him forward.

"How did that know I was there?" Draco whispered.

"It was the mat you were standing on, Draco. The door has a machine that knows when you stand on the mat so it opens as you walk up," Snape said casually, as they walked through the doors.

"I didn't know you knew so much about muggles, Severus," Hermione remarked as Draco hurried to walk next to Harry and she hung back with Snape.

"My father was a muggle, so I learned enough. And in my old days, there were times I had to stay in the muggle areas."

"You look very handsome in muggle clothes, you know that?"

Harry, Draco, and Hermione had all opted to wear jeans and shirts, where as Snape refused to consider jeans. Instead, he had on black slacks, although they _were_ able to persuade him into a t-shirt instead of the button up one.

"Thank you. Those jeans flatter you very much as well," he said, eyes straying to her rear before touching back to her eyes.

She smiled. "Good, because I wore them hoping you would like them."

Finally, the shopping was done and they were heading back to the car. Draco had slowed down the trip by trying to put random things he thought looked interesting into the cart, making Harry have to grab them and put them back.

Bags loaded into the trunk, Draco grabbed Harry and spun him around. "You, sir, are amazing. Thank you for that."

Harry laughed. "Nothing to thank me for; we needed the food."

"Yes, but I know I was being a pain-"

"Yes," Snape interjected.

"-but you dealt with it anyway, and even answered all of my questions," he said, ignoring Snape. "I'm not used to that." With that, he pulled Harry closer and began to kiss him.

Hermione just looked at Snape and smirked, giving him the 'they-do-this-all-the-time look', making him grimace. He was about to break them up when the task was done by someone else.

"Oi! Stop that! That's bloody disgusting! No respect for people, I tell yo-," the voice stopped short, then got distinctly colder. "Oh, it's _you_."

Draco was looking incensed, while Harry just stared at the couple in front of him coolly.

"Uncle Vernon," he said, just as cold.

"What are _you_ doing here? In a normal setting! Don't they have stores where freaks like you can shop?" Vernon hissed, making sure no passerby's could hear them. A rather horse-faced woman stood next to the man called Vernon, whom Hermione could only assume was his aunt.

"Freaks?" Draco said, starting forward.

"Draco, stop," Harry told him, grabbing his arm. "It's not worth it."

"When you never came back, Petunia and I had thought the best; maybe you had managed to get yourself blown up by the Voldycort man, just like your worthless mother and father," Vernon continued, obviously hoping to hurt Harry. She heard Draco hiss his breath in at the statement, and felt Snape tense up next to her.

"How dare you!" Draco hissed back. "Harry saved the whole wizarding world, and by doing so, saved your worthless bloody muggle hides. How you can even _think_ to say that-"

"Oh shut it, you little faggot," Vernon said, not taking his eyes off Harry. Petunia was trying to look anywhere but at her nephew and Draco; she looked horrified every time her eyes strayed there, as if someone would see them and _know_ they were talking with a gay "freak" couple.

Draco tensed and she felt magic rippling off him in waves.

"Vernon, just leave me alone. I never came back because I hated that place. If you've forgotten, I have a house of my own. I never let you two know how I was because I knew you wouldn't care. You can say what you want about me, but leave Draco out of this. You can't run my life anymore," Harry said, voice cool, but with a posture Hermione both recognized and feared.

"How dare you talk to your uncle that way!" Petunia finally snapped. She turned her blazing eyes to her nephew and glared with disgust. "You should be on your knees thanking us for everything we did for you! I could have, and _should _have, dropped you off at an orphanage or better yet, in a lake. I always knew I'd get saddled with something from _your_ world when Lily got that blasted letter! It served her right, getting killed by some maniac, but she should have at least sent you with someone else."

"That's your _sister_ and my _mother_; have some respect," Harry said quietly, still glaring.

"She never deserved respect, just like no one in that little freak world of yours does!"

Suddenly, Snape was standing in front of Harry, and even without his billowing robes, he looked intimidating and scary.

"Leave. Now."

"Don't you talk to my wife or I like that!"

"I will not ask again after this. Leave."

"Just who do you think you are?" Vernon said; Petunia had gone paper white and was tugging on her husbands arm.

"Let's go, Vernon," she said, avoiding Snape's eyes.

"No!"

"Listen to your wife, Mr. Dursley."

"Who the hell are you, thinking you can speak to us like that?"

"Ask your wife; we're something of…old friends, aren't we, Petunia?"

Vernon gaped at his wife and Snape's lip curled as he sneered at her.

"Petunia?"

"I…I don't…Let's go…let's just leave," she said, still tugging on his arm.

"My name is Professor Severus Snape. I am the Potions Master at the _freak_ school, and I also fought in the war. I was a spy for over 20 years, gathering information from the Death Eaters and fooling the most powerful Dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort. Before that, I was in his ranks as an actual Death Eater, and I assure you, I did some horrible things. But I digress. Before all of this, I lived down the street from Petunia and Lily. Have you ever told your husband about those letters you wrote to Professor Dumbledore, _begging_ him to let you come to Hogwarts?"

Petunia was shaking her head, muttering to Vernon about leaving. Harry, Draco, and Hermione all listened intently, watching Vernon's confused face.

"Lies. My wife never wanted anything to do with you freaks!"

"Ask her yourself, Mr. Dursley. She used to spy on Lily and I when we would hang out during the day, and I intercepted her mail when she wrote to Dumbledore and when he wrote back; he was very kind to her. However, there was no place for her at the school. That didn't sit well with _Tuney_, however, so all this hate stems from pure bitterness."

"Severus…stop…please," Petunia gasped out, still tugging on her husband's arm.

"You deserve to know, _Tuney_. Did you know that Lily used to talk about you at school? About how much she missed you, and what she wanted to bring home to you? That stopped after second year, of course, when you kept being a bitch, but she never stopped talking about missing you. Did you know that if Harry here would have been a girl, she was going to have her middle name be Petunia? Did you know she had PICTURES OF YOU IN HER HOUSE?" Snape's voice was going lower, but had the effect of him yelling. Petunia had finally stopped tugging on Vernon and was standing, staring wide eyed, at Snape. "How about, did you know that she and James argued over who Harry would go to in case of an emergency? She VOUCHED for you, argued against his best friend who they both knew would LOVE Harry. Sirius Black won out, of course, but Harry was still sent to you. Or did you know that when Harry was born, I went to go see her and she cried about how her only sister wasn't there for the birth? She vowed to make things better between you both, in case anything should happen to them in the war. And, were you aware, that I saw her a WEEK before she died, and she was making plans to come see you when they were out of hiding? She LOVED you…and you couldn't even care for her son, the only living part of her left, even a small amount. You both abused him, making him live in a cupboard, basically starving him, treating him like shit. How did it feel Petunia? How did it feel to see HER looking at you through his eyes, so identical to hers, every time you mistreated him? Or did you just stop feeling by that point?" Snape was trying not to breath too heavily as he finished, attempting to hold onto his cool demeanor.

"She didn't," Harry spoke up suddenly, looking as if he had just solved a particular hard math problem. "It makes sense now. If she was ever being horrible to me, she never looked me in the eye; she always stared above my head, or my shoulder. If it was something bad, she would have Vernon do it. It makes sense now."

Vernon looked utterly perplexed, and tears streamed down Petunia's face.

"I…I had no…no idea…," Petunia stuttered. "If…if I had known…"

"What? You would've treated me better? You couldn't just do it because it was the right thing to do?" Harry asked coldly, looking almost like a mini-Snape but with glasses.

"I'm s-sorry, Harry…I didn't know…," Petunia tried again, but Harry cut her off.

"Forget about it Petunia. It's the past," he told her, glaring.

"Th-thank you, Harry. M-maybe you could…could come by…and…," she started, but was cut off by him.

"No. You misunderstand me. I mean, it's the past, so let it die. Everything. I'm no more your nephew right now than I ever was, and sometimes it's too little, too late. Don't come near me, don't try to contact me. You are both horrible people, and I can only hope Dudley came out better than you both. I have my own family now; it's the same family that was there for me the years you weren't. Now, you and your worthless husband go shopping. I'm going to grab my _boyfriend_, get in the car, and go back to _our_ house, where I will then snog him thoroughly. I will give him an extra kiss in memory of you. Goodbye."

With that, Harry turned around and walked over to the driver's side door and got in, unlocking the doors for his friends to follow.

XXX

Back at Grimmauld place, Harry sat in the driver's seat when they pulled in. When he made no attempt to move, Draco looked at Hermione and Snape. Snape nodded at the two of them to leave, making their eyes go wide. Nonetheless, Draco and Hermione went to the trunk, shrunk the bags, and carried them inside, leaving Snape leaning against the side of Harry's car, arms crossed.

"That was…intense," Draco commented as they got inside. Hermione started laughing.

"It was bound to happen eventually. I didn't know all of that about Harry's mum, but it makes sense Severus would know. Here you are Kreacher," she said, handing the bags over to the house elf, who bowed.

"Hey Kreacher, could you please send out a glass of brandy or firewhiskey to Severus and Harry? I think they could use it," Draco said, and Kreacher nodded.

Heading back to the living room, they saw Dobby arranging sandwiches and juice for lunch.

"Thanks Dobby!" Draco said, grabbing a couple and flopping on the couch, simultaneously turning on Harry's T.V. "I think _Independence Day_ would be a good one to watch. I hear it has a lot of action."

"It does. But I have something you might find even more entertaining. I was planning on saving this for Christmas, but…well…who knows how long they'll be out there for, and we could use a distraction," Hermione said.

Draco immediately turned off the television and stared at her intently. "Well? What is it?"

Hermione started laughing and summoned her book-bag. "It's funny what you did for the television in our dorm room, because I've been working on something similar for us to enjoy. However, I haven't yet perfected it at Hogwarts; we might have to collaborate on that. But I tried this last night before I went to sleep, and it worked!"

"Seriously, witch, you're killing me."

Hermione reached into her back and pulled out an odd black flat rectangle-looking thing that looked like it opened. "Ta da!" she said, beaming.

"…what is it?" Draco asked, poking it. "What does it do?"

Hermione started laughing again as she opened it. Draco gasped.

"Is it a mini television? That would be cool, except we have a giant one. But this would be nice because it's portable."

"No, this is a laptop. You remember studying muggle computers? This is a portable computer."

"WOW! Let me see! And it works? What can you do on it?"

"Lots of things. I use the spreadsheets to help categorize things, like for potions and stuff. It's how I used to make the inventory sheets in the storeroom during the war and times before it when Severus and I worked together. There's games on it. There's programs that allow you to press the keys with the letters and create documents. It's how the muggle students turn in paperwork at school instead of writing them by hand with a quill like we do. But that's not even the best part."

"What's better than not having your hand cramp up writing 2 feet of essay?" Draco said, mesmerized by the colors on the screen; he had found the painting program and was doodling.

"I've been working on getting the internet to connect to it," she said smugly, waiting for the knut to drop in his head. She knew that during class he had been fascinated by the concept of the internet.

"And you did it?" His eyes were as round as galleons.

"Yep. Want to go exploring?" The friends had identical broad grins.

An hour later, Snape and Harry walked in from the garage and were told by Kreacher that their friends had gone upstairs to the library. The two men curiously ventured upstairs to find Hermione and Draco seated at a large table together, laughing at a thin black rectangle.

"Whoa! Is that a laptop, Hermione?" Harry asked and ran over.

Draco started explaining enthusiastically about what Hermione had done, and Snape tried to not look lost. Hermione quickly saw through that, however.

"It's a portable computer, Severus. I'm not sure of the last time you saw a computer, but they've considerably changed over the years. Do you know about the internet?"

"I've…briefly heard of it," he said vaguely, not fooling anyone. Hermione started explaining the basics of it and Snape found himself more and more intrigued.

"I had wondered how you got the inventory sheets to look so good. I remember you mentioning a 'spreadsheet' but thought you were just crazy and let it go," he said, causing everyone to laugh.

"So what's so funny, anyway?" Harry asked, looking over their shoulders.

"We were browsing the most searched topics on this search engine and came across a very popular book series. Hermione was interested in them, so we went and read the reviews and the plot of them. It's hilarious. Did you know this author wrote a story about vampires?"

"And it's popular?" Snape asked, surprised. Vampires were not to be trifled with.

"Yeah! It's one of the biggest book series sold! And get this: she made it a vampire LOVE STORY…and the vampires are nice and don't kill people. But the best part is…if they go out in the sun, they SPARKLE!" Draco said, collapsing back on the chair again, laughing hard. Soon, all friends and their professor were laughing at the ideas that muggles came up with in the name of entertainment.

XXX

"When will the Weasley's be arriving, Harry?" Snape asked the next morning at breakfast.

"This afternoon. I believe the whole clan is coming, although I'm not sure about Charlie. He should be though; I know he didn't stay at Hogwarts."

Snape stiffened slightly at Charlie's name, but let it go. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and Harry was running around making sure everything was perfect. Currently, he was going through the list he made of meals they were to have, muttering about changes to make.

"Calm down, Harry," Draco drawled, looking disheveled as he walked into the kitchen, bleary eyed. "It's going to go off without a hitch."

"You really think so?" Harry asked, looking up at his boyfriend.

"Of course not; nothing is perfect. Something is bound to go off course," Draco said nonchalantly as he picked up a muffin and started to butter it. Hermione reached over and absentmindedly smacked him on the back of his head without looking up from her paper. "I mean, yes; yes, it will go perfectly, Harry."

Harry snorted at him and went back to his list.

"I think what our dear friend here was _trying_ to say, Harry, is that you can't plan for everything. So you can keep obsessing over your lists, but you can't account for it all. So calm down; the Weasley's love you," Hermione said, finally looking up at him.

"Exactly," said Draco, before taking a huge bite of his muffin.

"I know, I know. And that's the problem! I love them. They ARE my family. But with…recent events…-"

"Such as you coming out of the proverbial closet to admit to the world that you like to take my broomstick for a spin…-"

"-being how they are, I'm afraid Mrs. Weasley won't be happy with me because she wanted me to be with Ginny-"

"Or you like to let me take _your_ broomstick out; I'm really not picky when it comes to technicalities…-"

"-and I just really don't want her to hate me," Harry finished, used to ignoring Draco by now.

"It's ok, Harry. If she _is_ disappointed, I'll swoop in and save you. After all, she wants me to marry Charlie and instead-"

"-you decide you have a taste for gits-

"- I drop the bomb on everyone that I'm with Severus."

"-whom, apparently, has a taste for know-it-all's."

"Draco."

"Yes, Severus?"

"I'm going to kill you. Shut up." Everyone laughed and Hermione assured Snape that they were used to it by now.

"But, Hermione, you didn't choose Severus; I _chose_ Draco."

"Maybe at the beginning, but I choose him now," Hermione said, and shrugged. The table was quiet for a few seconds.

"Oh. Well. That's…that's nice. I'm…happy…for you," Harry got out, looking extremely awkward. Draco was grinning at his uncomfortable looking godfather who was attempting to ignore everyone at the table.

"I hadn't realized you two had made it official; congratulations. It was high time Severus got laid," Draco said, grinning more broadly still when both Harry and Snape choked on their tea, and Hermione's face got red.

"That's _quite_ enough, Draco. And we haven't made anything 'official'. And my sex life is not something I wish to discuss at the breakfast table," Snape snapped.

"Oh, I see. You haven't gotten any yet. Well, it's ok Severus; Christmas isn't over yet," Draco finished, picking up another muffin.

"I only _meant_ that as far as the 'charade' is going, I'm not really a participant in it any longer. I actually care about Severus; I never said that he cared about me, Draco," Hermione told him, still blushing and averting her eyes from Snape.

"Hermione…," Snape said softly to her. She peeked at him, and he took her hand under the table. He opened his mouth to speak, but then glanced at the two men sitting across from them, not even pretending not to eavesdrop. Pulling out his wand, he made a few complicated twists in the air and she felt rather than saw a shield go around them.

She saw Draco roll his eyes and say something she couldn't hear and Harry just raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"It's a charm that not only makes it impossible for people to hear you, or you them, but it distorts our lips to them so they can't even read them," he explained.

"Clever."

"Quite. Now," he hesitated, "Hermione, I'm not a man of many words. I know I don't have the eloquence to project an air of romance most women want. You should never expect any grand projections of love; no rose petals and floating candles, no reciting poetry into your ear as you fall asleep. I'm old enough to be your father. I'm prickly, snarky, short-tempered, sarcastic, and caustic. I have done things in my past that I hope you never find out about. I don't deserve your feelings, Hermione. However, I'm much too selfish to let yours go to waste. So if you would like to attempt to engage in an actual…relationship…with me, then I feel you have whittled me down and now I feel I'll give in if you endeavor to persuade me into it again." He smirked at her.

"You know, for a man of few words, you just said a mouthful. Wouldn't it have been easier to just say 'hey, I like you too'?" She laughed.

"Would you have believed me if I did?" he arched an eyebrow at her and smirked.

He leaned forward, keeping his eyes on hers the whole way, and finally touched his lips to hers. When he finally pulled back, they were both a bit breathless and her eyes were close to being dilated with pleasure; it made his breath catch in his throat. He turned away before he could lead them down a very embarrassing and public display on the kitchen table. The spell may not let others hear what happened, but they could still see.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

"Harry!"

"Mrs. Weasley!"

The doorway of Grimmauld Place was suddenly filled with red haired people waiting for the red haired woman to let go her choke hold on the Boy Who Lived.

"Hey Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said somewhat meekly, and Molly let go of Harry finally to turn towards Hermione. Her face darkened slightly and then it was gone, and she was pulling Hermione into a crushing embrace as well.

"Oh, Hermione!"

"Charlie!"

"Ginny!"

"Bill!"

"Fred!"

"George!"

"Ok, you two, that's enough," Mrs. Weasley said, shooting a glare at her twin sons, who were going around to the family and hugging them.

"Come in, you guys. Kreacher just made some awesome hot cocoa, and it's waiting for us in the dining room. Plus, you have to see the tree." Harry winked at Hermione. The tree had come out looking like it was decorated by four drunk people, which was completely accurate. The next morning, no one had the heart to fix it. Even Snape said he preferred it to the Hogwarts trees.

"Hey Fred, George, Bill, Ginny,…Charlie," Hermione greeted them all as they filed past her. They all hugged her or smiled except for Ginny and Charlie who just nodded.

"If we would have known you two would be here alone for Christmas, we would have come sooner," Mrs. Weasley was saying as Hermione followed in to the dining room. "Oh good heavens, what happened to that tree?"

Hermione and Harry started laughing and tried explaining about the decoration process, but at that moment Snape and Draco came through the door that lead to the kitchen, mugs in hand and chuckling with one another. Both parties stopped at the sight of the other.

Snape recovered first. "Mrs. Weasley," he said, and nodded to her, and then the rest of the family.

"So glad you could all make it. Harry wouldn't have had a good Christmas without the rest of his family," Draco said, charismatic smile in place.

Harry swooped in to save his boyfriend. "It's true; I would've been a nightmare. I even ran into the Dursley's the other day. Made me remember why I love you guys," he laughed, and put his arm around Draco's waist to give him a half hug.

Mrs. Weasley seemed to shake herself out of a trance, and put on a tight smile. "We're always happy to be with Harry. He's been a part of our family for years. And hello Severus, good to see you. This is a surprise."

"Yes, it was for me as well. But Hermione begged me to join and she's hard to say no to…after you've said it twenty times," he said, and smirked at her.

The twins started laughing, unaffected as usual by any tense situation.

"Yeah, that's our Hermione. Hello, Professor Snape," George said, and Fred repeated the greeting, then both strode forward to shake his hand.

"And Draco…happy Christmas," Fred told the blonde, and stuck out his hand, George following. Draco's eyes widened with surprise slightly, but he recovered quickly and grasped the men's hands.

Bill strode forward and shook hands with Snape as well, and then followed his brother's lead by shaking Draco's.

Setting down his mug, Draco strode over to Mrs. Weasley and bowed, perfectly and slightly, thanks to his pureblood training, before rising again. "I hope you have a good Christmas here, Mrs. Weasley. I never got the chance to speak to many people after the war, choosing rather to shut myself up away from society, but I would like to formally offer my late condolences on your husband and sons. Mr. Weasley was never excessively rude to me, even though my father was horrible to him. He was one of the first to see me as my own person rather than a replica of Lucius. Percy was always fair to me, and never used his power as Prefect or Head Boy to punish me terribly unless he needed to, which is more than what I know I would've done. And I won't insult you by saying that Ron and I were friends, but we did become acquaintances in the months leading up to the battle, during training. Often, we would stay behind and discuss strategic tactics and have a go at chess, in which we were both happy to find an opponent evenly matched. The loss has hit Harry hard, especially in the months since we started school, and I can only imagine how it is for you. I'm often envious of such a loving family, and it's good knowing Harry has a family who loves him." He softly grasped her hand and kissed it.

Mrs. Weasley looked at him for a moment, with tears shining in her eyes. It was perfectly executed, Hermione thought. He said everything with the proper voice inflections and sincerity, knowing the majority of the stay here would rest on how Mrs. Weasley was handling it. That was a powerful weapon Draco had. Snape's eyes glittered with suppressed mirth at catching on what Draco was doing, and Harry's eyes darted back and forth. Finally, Mrs. Weasley gave a watery smile and patted Draco's hand.

"Thank you, dear boy. And I feel I must apologize, for I did not give you the chance as Arthur, and now Harry, gave you. I know you are your own person, but it's good to finally KNOW," she said.

Draco grinned and turned to Charlie, his smile never losing warmth. Then again, he was a pro. "Professor Weasley," he said and nodded.

Charlie just tilted his head at him, and then cut his eyes back to Snape who hadn't taken his eyes off of him for the last few minutes.

"Ginny," Draco continued, and grinned wider when he saw her eyes narrow.

"Ginny, don't be rude," Mrs. Weasley admonished. Draco grinned even wider, his eyes shining with amusement.

"No. No, I'm sorry. I can't do this," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ginny!" her mom snapped, but her daughter just shook her head.

"No. This is wrong. I just…can't," she said, still glaring at Draco.

"Miss Weasley, you are a guest here and as such-," Snape started, but Draco waved him off.

"It's ok Severus. Now, Ginny; what _exactly_ can't you do? And I'm not sure what's wrong. You must elaborate," Draco told her, smile still hitched in place, but with steel for eyes.

"You. Harry. THIS!" Ginny exploded as her hand swept over the room to encompass the tree and smattering of gifts.

"I understand you may still take issue with me, but I see nothing wrong that Harry has done," he answered, voice taking a slightly harder tone.

"I see very much wrong with what he's done, mainly with _you_. You turned him into a little faggot," Ginny hissed.

"GINEVRA WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley thundered.

"Insult me all you want, Ginny, but don't you dare bring Harry into this," Draco said, losing the façade, voice going cold.

"It's alright, Draco; I think I'll bring myself into it. Ginny, you're a guest in my house. I expect you to act properly," Harry said, stepping forward.

"Oh, fuck off Harry!" There was a collective gasp from the Weasley family. "How dare you talk to me like that, after everything that's happened?"

"Like what, Ginny? LIKE WHAT?"

"Like my brother DYING because of YOU, for one," Ginny shot back at him. "YOU KILLED RON!"

Harry was a statue, and his lips barely moved when he answered. "I didn't kill Ron."

"You may as well have! You know he would never have gone into the middle of that battle if it wasn't for you!"

"Anything else?" Harry asked, pulling off a voice that almost sounded bored.

"Yes, there's damn well more! You…you and…_HIM_, for another!"

"HE has a name, Ginny. But we can also refer to him as _my boyfriend_."

"How DARE you! After everything! Everything you and I went through-"

"Oh, HERE it goes. I knew it was going to be brought up…," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

The rest of the guests were watching from their sides of the room in surprise. Mrs. Weasley had covered her mouth at the mention of Ron's death and hadn't lowered her hands since. Fred and George, per usual, were finding the whole affair amusing. They had taken up standing in the middle of the room near the fighting couple and had produced small double sided pendant flags that said _"Go Harry!_" and "_Go Ginny!_" on either side.

"Yeah, here it goes! You led me on! You knew how I felt about you, and you knew that my mom wanted us to be together, and so did Ron! We were SUPPOSED to be together!"

"Ginny! I don't LIKE GIRLS! There is something between your legs that just DOESN'T appeal to me! Stop bringing in others just to make me feel guilty. I never led you on. I comforted you when I realized that you probably needed to talk. At least I'm not like your BROTHER who used the memory of Ron to try and hook up with Hermione!"

Hermione groaned softly and covered her face. Snape's arm came around her and she felt him chuckle softly as she buried her face in his robes.

"CHARLES WEASLEY!"

Charlie looked properly ashamed and averted his eyes from his mom and the rest of the family.

"Whatever. It still doesn't account for what you're doing! It's WRONG, Harry. It's DISGUSTING."

"You know what Ginny? I don't have to hear this. This is MY house, and YOU are a guest here. If you don't like it, go back to the Burrow. But you're my FAMILY. Even when I thought I liked girls, I NEVER thought of you in any way other than a sister, which I know for a FACT both Ron and Hermione have told you! So go, if you don't want to spend your Christmas in a perverse house with two disgusting men, because I'll be fine here."

The room was very quiet; even Fred and George had stopped waving their flags. They were currently glaring at their older brother, who was still studiously looking everywhere else but at anyone.

"Ginevra Weasley, you should be ashamed," Mrs. Weasley said, coming forward.

"But mama-,"

"No buts. I'm giving you three choices: one, you can march yourself upstairs and stay there until dinner everyday we're here. Two, you can floo back home with me following so I can set wards, and you will be confined to your room _there_, with regular meals dropping in. Or three, you can behave like an adult, apologize to your host for being so rude, then apologize to Draco, and then finally apologize to everyone else for your horrid behavior. Then, and only then, will you _ask_ Harry to allow you to stay with him and this _family_ for Christmas. And _you_, Charles Weasley," she began, looking away from her furious daughter to her ashamed son, "you will apologize to Hermione, then to Professor Snape, Harry, and finally the rest of us. You don't get the choice."

Charlie nodded at his mom, and then walked over to Hermione. He bowed low to her, and then looked in her eyes. "Hermione, I feel ashamed for what I did, even if I could blame it all on the liquor. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you, Charlie."

He nodded, and then turned reluctantly to Snape, whose eyes still glittered with suppressed amusement.

"Professor Snape, I apologize." He stuck out his hand. After a quick jab with her elbow, Snape shook it.

"Harry, even though I wasn't in the argument today, I was still brought into it and therefore feel I must apologize. I have not been a friend to my younger brother's friend." He shook his hand as well.

Turning to face the room, Charlie struggled to keep his eyes from looking down. "To everyone else I apologize as well, but especially to you, mom. I feel ashamed for what I did." He walked over and kissed his mother's hand, still keeping his eyes averted from his glaring twin brother's.

"You _should_ feel ashamed," Molly said softly, a tear rolling down her face. "This is not how your father and I raised you; either of you."

Charlie paled slightly and nodded. He then turned and walked up the stairs to a room.

"Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley glared at her only daughter.

Ginny stiffened and seemed to weigh her options, but finally walked over to Harry and Draco.

"I apologize. This year hasn't been easy for me, and I'm not just trying to make excuses. I should not have said what I did; this is neither the time nor the place. Harry, I should respect you more. Draco, I shouldn't have called you names and insinuated that you warped Harry." She turned to the rest of the room. "I apologize to you all as well. This is not how a Christmas holiday should start."

She faced Harry again. "Harry, I would be grateful if you allowed me to stay with my family here in your home for the holidays."

Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Of COURSE you can stay, Ginny. This is going to take time for us all to get used to. Now come on; Kreacher really does make the best cocoa."

"Thank you, but no. I think I'll go check on Charlie." With that, Ginny turned and nearly ran up the stairs.

A tense silence followed until it was broken, unsurprisingly, by the twins.

"So where is this cocoa we were promised?" Fred asked.

"And who made the moving ornament of Harry crying?" George asked.

Harry laughed as Kreacher and Dobby appeared with trays of cocoa. "That was Severus, of course. Who else would draw themselves pushing me down?"

Several pairs of eyes widened fractionally at the natural use of the professor's name, but no one commented.

"It looks like you had a fun time," Mrs. Weasley said, walking around the tree, smiling fondly. "Ron would've had a blast with this."

Her children looked at her in surprise; it was the first time since his death that Molly had been able to mention Ron without tearing up.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I had hoped that you all might help us with the last of the ornaments," Harry said, and _accioed_ a box. "We made these the other night."

Draco pulled out his wand and shot a patronus up the stairs. Everyone tried not to laugh at his animal.

"Yeah, yeah; get it out now. Go ahead," Draco grumbled.

"Draco…your patronus…it's…," Hermione couldn't finish; she thought she would die from containing her laughter.

"A lion, yes, I know. Thank you," he said, rolling his eyes.

"It's very…," Fred started.

"…Slytherin," George finished.

Finally, Draco started to laugh.

"What's going on? A lion just told us to come down here," Ginny said, appearing on the stairs with Charlie behind her.

"A lion that sounded a lot like Draco," Charlie added, which set off more laughter.

"I thought Harry would want you two down here to help, that's all," Draco said.

Harry opened the box and started pulling out flat ornaments shaped like snowflakes. They were roughly 6 inches in height and covered in silver or white glitter on the front. In the middle of the front of each, was a picture. On the back, there were facts or quotes or memories about the person pictured.

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, voice hushed, "is that…"

"Arthur, yes."

"Oh…oh Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, tears already forming as she stared at the picture of her husband waving out at his family. She took the ornament from Harry and turned it over, where she gave a watery laugh at their descriptions of his love of all things muggle. She kissed the photo, walked over, and hung it on the tree.

"There's one in here for all those we knew and loved, cared for, and/or respected; people who were lost because of this war, even during the first part. Will you all help us hang them?" Draco asked the group.

As a whole, the family moved forward and took a random snowflake.

"Look at Percy! Was there ever a picture where he DIDN'T look smug or pompous about something?" Bill laughed, holding up the waving, smirking picture of their brother for all to see.

"Ah, Pansy; she was a feisty one. When she wanted to play quidditch, she was a hell of a beater," Charlie said, hanging up an ornament of the girl.

"Ha! Kingsley looks so goofy in this one!" Draco said, passing the ornament over to Snape to hang on the tree.

"Of course you would get a picture of the older Creevey taking a picture of you taking a picture, Harry," Snape sneered, but without his normal acid.

"I miss Hagrid so much," Hermione sighed, and leaned into Harry as they both stared at the photo of their half giant friend.

A few muffled sniffs invaded the din in the room, and everyone stared around looking for the source. It was found from the most unlikely of people; it had been a long time since any atmosphere had affected the twins, and even longer since people had seen them cry. Yet there they were, sitting on the couch. George was continuously wiping his own face while rubbing Fred's back, while Fred covered the top half of his face with his left hand, elbow supported on his knee, shoulders shaking slightly with soft sobs. In his right hand he held a picture of their smiling, late, youngest brother.

"Oh my boys, my boys," Molly said, rushing over and dropping to her knees in front of them. "We all miss him." She gathered them into a tight embrace, and after a few seconds, one arm from each twin came around their mother's back and held on tightly.

Hermione looked around the room. Snape and Draco looked uncomfortable, but were tactful enough not to overly show it. Draco simply walked over to Snape and started levitating some of the ornaments up higher.

Bill, Charlie, and Ginny all stood around with tears in their eyes. Ginny had her arms wrapped around herself and finally Bill and Charlie moved to each put an arm around her shoulder, all of them shaken with the twin's emotion.

_This family has suffered so much loss_, she thought.

Finally, her eyes touched on Harry. He half smiled back at her through the pain she saw in his face. But under the layer of pain, she thought she saw a flicker of triumph. He knew from personal experience that dealing with it was the best way to go. This was his way of dealing with it, and he was glad to bring it to light with others if it helped them in their grieving as well.

He bent over and picked up two more snowflakes, looking at them intensely before walking over and hanging them up himself. When he moved back towards the box, she saw Mr. and Mrs. Potter, as well as Sirius, smiling back down on all of them. Snape's eyes strayed on the one of Lily Potter for a fraction longer before flitting away.

She was shaken from her musings when Fred and George both stood up. Walking over to the tree, they both cast a levitation on the ornament together and hung it up high, almost to the top. The picture of Ron looked down at his family and friends a little sadly, wiped a tear from his eye, and then smiled and continued to wave while the group continued adding more ornaments.

XXX

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS!"

"Get. Out. Of. Here," came the muffled reply. Hermione laughed and sat up looking at the two boys who had just entered. Ginny buried her head lower under her blanket.

"Come on, Gin; Kreacher slaved away making breakfast for us all," Draco said.

"No he didn't; he enjoyed every second of it."

"Well, he still did the work. So that means you have to get up and eat it."

"Happy Christmas, Hermione," Harry said, walking over to sit on her bed.

"You too, Harry. I'll be down in a second." She gave her best friend a hug.

Fifteen minutes later, the whole household was downstairs. Mrs. Weasley and Kreacher were bustling around the long table making sure everything was perfect, Snape was sitting at the end of the table sipping coffee and reading the paper, and everyone was walking into the kitchen to sit down.

Hermione immediately sat down next to Snape.

"Happy Christmas, Severus," she said softly as she reached for her glass. She wanted nothing more than to grab his face and give him a huge kiss like the one he had given her the night before when he walked her up to her room, but she knew he hated overly done public displays of affection.

"To you as well, Hermione," he murmured, and his eyes glittered with mirth as if he knew what she was thinking. He reached under the table and squeezed her thigh lightly, and kept his hand there even when she reached under to entwine their fingers.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with loud voices all trying to be heard over the other and laughter as they ate through their Christmas breakfast.

"Presents time!" the twins finally chorused together, and everyone murmured happily and stood up to go to the dining room. It was a bit chaotic, trying to find a place for everyone. Soon, Hermione was transfiguring candle holders and books into couches for the lot.

After everyone had _accioed_ their gifts, there were only the sounds of ripping paper and delighted voices for awhile.

"Wow, Hermione! Thank you!" came Draco's voice. He was ripping the plastic covering off of the DVD special addition pack of all the Die Hard movies. Harry looked just as excited for them and kept reaching over to grab one, only to have Draco absentmindedly smack his hand back as he picked up another present.

"Oh Harry, they're lovely!" said Mrs. Weasley, who had just unwrapped her new dress robes. They were a beautiful midnight blue with silver trimming.

"Severus," Hermione breathed, and looked up at him.

"I must confess that I didn't get it for you at first with our…relationship…in mind. It was originally supposed to be a matter of safety." He took the delicate silver ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger, tapping it with his wand. As he did so, she felt a tingle of magic course through her body. "Its design is that it can either be shown or cloaked, but the runes etched into the ring are the same as on mine." He tapped his hand with his wand and a broader band of silver appeared. "If you need me, at all for any reason, especially if you're hurt, you just need to concentrate on the ring. You'll be able to feel the magic from it, and when you concentrate on it then mine will alert me. I'll be able to find you. I know Draco gave you the necklace, but this is just a back-up plan. I would much rather be alerted than have to wait to find out if something happened to you. It can only be removed by you."

"Thank you," Hermione said, and wrapped her arms around him, audience be damned. After a moment, his arms hesitantly came around her as well, although they didn't hold her tightly, and he let go in record time.

"This gift, however, I got for more personal reasons," he said, and pointed to the next box in her pile.

Opening it, she saw a beautiful tennis bracelet inlaid with blue and white diamonds.

"Oh my god, Severus," she breathed.

"Don't worry, it was in my family's vault; I have many things like this lying around waiting to be pawned or given away. I have no use for most items belonging to my mother's side," he told her, and after a moment's hesitation, leaned down and kissed her on her forehead.

"Sweet man; I love it," she said quietly, looking up at him. It was then that she noticed how quiet the room had gone. Looking around, she saw eyes on them both quickly dart away when she looked, except for her two best friends.

"That's beautiful, Hermione," Harry said, smiling, and then went back to his presents.

"Wow, way to make everyone else's gifts look like shit, Severus," was Draco's comment, which had Snape barking out a single HA! to him, startling the audience.

"Just because I know the subtlety of a gift-,"

"What subtlety? It's a bloody diamond bracelet! How is that subtle? It makes the watch I gave Harry look rather shabby, thank you very much," Draco said, as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a black box with a dark green ribbon.

Harry opened the box and his eyes got wide. "Draco, this is awesome; really magnificent! Thank you, love!"

Draco stopped teasing Snape when he heard Harry's endearment, and almost visibly melted. The watch was made of titanium, and had little diamonds around the face. The whole watch shone brightly, and it looked right at home on Harry's wrist next to his bracelet.

"The diamonds aren't very big, but they were what I could afford-," Draco started sheepishly, but was silenced by a giant kiss from Harry.

"Hermione, these are wonderful," Snape said quietly, having just opened his box from her. Nestled inside were a collection of six potions viles, all black and shiny. He could feel magic emanating from them.

"They're hand blown and fixed with the highest level of charms they can be. The charms cover anti-dropping, breaking, or spilling of any sort but are safe enough to not contaminate any potion," she said happily, watching his face.

"Beautiful," he just, running his fingers lightly over them.

"I figured you'd get a snake imprinted in them," Fred joked, and winked at her.

"Or just get him a snake period," George joined in, laughing.

"Contrary to popular belief, not all Slytherins like snakes, you know," Draco said in an offhand voice as he started to unwrap a present Harry pushed into his hands.

"Speaking from personal experience, Draco?" Fred asked, laughing at his scowl and blush.

"Draco's right, though, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley," Snape said amusedly. "Being Head of Slytherin for some reason automatically makes everyone assume I love snakes. I can't tell you how many snake designed items I have gotten from members of the staff over the years. But no one else tries to give their Head of House animal symbols. Could you imagine if I tried buying a pet badger for Professor Sprout?" Everyone started laughing.

"Show up with a life-size griffin for McGonagall!" George said, laughing harder.

Laughing, Hermione looked over at Draco who was staring at something in his hand while Harry looked anxious.

"If you don't like it, I can send away for something different," she heard Harry telling him quietly. "I thought it'd be nice, but-,"

It was Harry's turn to get silenced by a kiss and then a huge hug followed. Untangling himself from his boyfriend finally, he turned to Snape.

"Severus, catch!" he said, and tossed it to Snape, who in turn, caught it.

Hermione and Snape both gazed down at a handsome pocket watch of solid silver with an intricate letter 'D' on the front in black obsidian. When you opened the cover, the face of the watch had large, clear numbers, while the other side had a picture of Draco and Harry. Hermione recognized it as one Harry had asked her to take of them a couple weeks prior. Closing it, she looked back happily at the couple.

"It's beautiful, Draco. It's so heartfelt."

"Great, now I'm getting outdone by Potter," Snape grumbled.

Draco laughed. "That seems to be a pattern in your life, Severus."

Snape's eyes sparkled dangerously as he sent the watch soaring back towards Draco's head.

XXX

"Bye Mrs. Weasley!" Harry called out, watching the mother of the Weasley's wave once more before apparating after her children. Closing the door behind him, Harry leaned against it, closed his eyes, and sighed. "That was an ordeal."

Draco laughed as he walked into the hallway. "They're certainly a lot to handle. But I'm glad your family was here with you." He kissed Harry soundly before pulling him back to the sitting room with Hermione and Snape.

It was a lazy day, and all four occupants of the house were enjoying the time before they would have to leave for school. Term resumed the 5th, so they had to be back on the 4th. It was New Years Eve.

Hermione was lounging on the couch, head in Snape's lap, reading. Snape had a book in one hand and the other was absentmindedly stroking her hair. She looked up when Harry walked through the door.

"So what's on the agenda for tonight?" She laughed as Harry immediately blushed, and Draco grinned lasciviously. Snape glanced up at the pair and rolled his eyes before going back to his book.

"She was asking about any…festivities…you have planned for the _holiday_…as a _group_, Harry," Snape sneered.

"Hey, maybe he was too…," Draco started, making Snape snort.

"Well, I figure we can all just sit around and drink and eat, maybe barbeque, watch the fireworks from the roof…normal muggle New Years, I guess."

"Muggles watch fireworks from the roof?" Draco asked, eyebrows creeping up towards his hairline.

"Some do," Hermione answered, setting her book aside. "Some watch them on the telly, some go out to big picnics with groups of muggles and watch them together. I think the roof is a great idea."

"Yeah, the protective charms will shield us, and there are also other charms in case of rain or anything. We can barbeque up there," Harry said.

"And barbequing is when muggles put chunks of meat over an open fire, right?" Draco said, trying to keep up.

"Something like that, yeah," Harry said, laughing.

A few hours later, the group was settled on the roof of the house. Harry had adjusted the charms so that a slight breeze from the snow outside would play through, but not enough for discomfort. They had moved a table and two couches up there as well. Hermione and Snape had taken up their spot reading once more, tiny conjured balls of light floating around them as the light faded. Harry was trying to explain the grill to Draco.

"See, the wood chips go down here, and the fire they make cooks the food up here."

"Why not just use _incendio_?"

"Well, I do sometimes to light the wood, but honestly I just like the smell of matches."

"Ok, so what does this do?"

"Not so much!" Harry laughed, as Draco squirted liberal amounts of lighter fluid on the wood chips. "That helps the fire start automatically and stay lit for longer."

"What properties does it possess that make it so?" asked Snape, who had walked up behind the pair, curious at the demonstration as well.

"Er…I'm not entirely sure. I'm just going off what the package says," Harry replied sheepishly.

"Hmm, foolish and unorthodox. Continue," Snape told him. Harry quirked an eyebrow at Hermione who was now standing there and she tried not to laugh at him.

"Ok, well, we already have the meat marinated-"

"That's what we did before, right? When you had me paint the chicken with the good smelling sauce?" Draco asked.

"Yes. The chicken has been marinating in the sauce for a couple hours and the steaks are nice and tender. So, now we strike the match and light the fire. Draco?" Harry handed the box of matches to his boyfriend. Draco took them eagerly.

A second later, Draco was holding a long match with a little flame at the top, which he promptly dropped in his surprise.

"Well…at least I had it for a second. Did you see that? Muggles have come up with so many ways to get around using magic!"

"Here, try again Draco," Hermione said, taking the box from Snape who had grabbed them from Draco when he dropped the box, and was looking closely at the stick of wood.

A few more seconds and Draco had another lit match, which he carefully held on to.

"Ok, now touch it to right here," Harry said, pointing. The fire instantly sprang up, and Draco jumped back. Even Snape's eyes widened; he was much too disciplined to jump. "Alright, now we add the meat."

Soon, the roof was full of light talking and laughter and the smell of grilled food.

"You can eat a steak with pink in it, but the chicken HAS to be cooked all the way," Harry was explaining.

"I take mine medium-rare, Harry," Snape said as he walked to the edge of the roof and looked out over the town.

"Well done, for me," Hermione added.

"Are those code?" Draco asked.

"Kind of. Rare means pretty much raw," Harry laughed. "So the way Severus wants his is to have the middle pretty red, and some brown around. Hermione is getting hers cooked all the way through."

"How do you eat yours?"

"I've tried them all. When you live alone with only two house elves and get depressed a lot, you tend to eat. I learned to experiment with food. I found that I like medium-well. Just a hint of pink so it's tender, but I'm too English to like it too raw," Harry told him.

"Ok, I think I'll try mine medium. That's the middle, right? I think that will be good."

"Kreacher!" Harry called suddenly.

"Yes, Master Harry?" said the elf, appearing next to him.

"I've forgotten side dishes. You wouldn't be able to whip up some of your potato salad, would you? It's amazing."

"Of course, Master Harry. It's already done, actually."

"Excellent, you're the best. Alright everyone; let's eat!"

In no time, everyone was settled in and eating. Wine was poured, and eventually the firewhiskey joined.

"…and so, Hermione was turned into a cat!" Harry nearly yelled, red in the face from laughter and drink, almost rolling with mirth. Draco howled with laughter and even Snape laughed. Hermione just flipped him off, making them laugh harder. "After all that planning," he said, trying to catch his breath, "all those preparations, she went and turned herself into a cat."

"I remember helping to brew the potion to help restore her, but I was never told the full story. It's pretty astounding you were able to brew polyjuice potion in your second year," Snape said, knocking back the rest of his drink.

"Yeah, that's our Hermione," Harry said, raising his own glass in mock salute.

"It was you, then," Snape said, looking dangerously at her. "I never knew who broke into my storeroom that year. I would've gone to my grave swearing it was Potter. Because of you, I have triple wards set to this day." That made them all laugh again, until Draco decided that Harry's mouth was better used for kissing.

As the male couple seemed to move horizontally on the couch with alarming speed, Hermione got up and walked to the edge of the building, where she watched the fireworks from where they were being set off a distance away.

"Are you cold?" Snape asked, coming up behind her.

"A little chilly, but I'll be fine. I think Harry's spell is wearing off." Snape put his cloak around Hermione's shoulders and wrapped his arms around her smaller frame, standing with his chin on her head. "Thank you for coming, Severus."

"Thank you for inviting me, Hermione. I admit, I wasn't overly thrilled when Albus decided for me where I would spend the holidays, but I must admit this is better than what I had planned."

Turning around in his arms, she laid her head on his chest. "Thank you for being so open, as well. When you showed up, I thought you would act how you do at school sometimes. It's nice to see you being able to have fun for once in your life, since I've known you at least."

"I'm surprised I have been acting this way as well. I admit, it probably has something to do with the generous amounts of alcohol your friend Harry keeps providing as well as my godson's presence, but nice all the same."

"So, Severus…"

"Yes?"

"Where do you plan on sleeping tonight?" She smiled into his chest when she felt him stiffen.

"Hermione, I-," he scrambled for words. "As flattered as I am that you would be willing to give up your purity to me, I think I would rather a time when you weren't egged on by alcohol, and…why are you laughing?"

Hermione lifted her head from where she had buried it in his chest, laughing. "Severus, as flattered as _I_ am that you want to defend my virtue, I feel the need to point out that you don't have to: its non-existent."

"You mean, you're not a…"

"No," she said, chuckling again.

"Oh. Oh ok. Well. That's…that's good," Snape said, still struggling with words. "But be that as it may, I still don't think we should engage in anything while under the influence. At least, not the first time. NOT counting the one in my study after the masque or at the Yule Ball, our first kiss was influenced by liquor, before you took the sobering potion. I would rather not set a precedent."

Hermione sighed and looked up in his face. Finally, she said, "You're right. My hormones are getting the better of me."

"Trust me, Hermione, I want to. I just don't think it would be right, for this first time."

"Look at you, so sweet and charming and thoughtful," Hermione said, smirking.

Snape snorted. "Hardly. I just don't think I would perform as well under the influence, and would rather the first time last for a while, thank you. This is purely for selfish reasons." He smiled down at her laughing face before leaning in to kiss her.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

"Welcome back, children!" Dumbledore stood in the open doors of the school watching the foursome make their way up to the castle.

"Albus, I'm 38," Snape reminded his employer, glowering at him, and glaring at the three students when they chuckled.

"My boy, to someone as old as I am, you're but a toddler," Dumbledore replied. "Now, why don't you leave your bags here and the house elves can take care of them. Time for some tea in my office, don't you think?" With that, he started to walk towards the office in question.

Snape's face became shuttered and immediately dropped his bags and Hermione's. Placing his hand on the small of her back, he pressed insistently on it as he quickly steered her through the castle. Draco and Harry both kept pace behind the couple, and walked briskly after.

Walking into the headmaster's office behind him, Snape asked, "Albus, what's all this about?" The three friends heard him cut himself off, however, and hastened into the room. He was standing in the center of the office like a statue, disgust etched in every line on his face as he stared at the guest standing by the headmaster's desk.

"You!" Harry's voice was full of hatred.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, me," simpered the pink clad figure of Delores Umbridge.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Harry asked rudely, standing in front of Hermione.

"I see you have yet to learn to reign in your temper, Mr. Potter. This doesn't involve you," she said, giving her sweetest smile. "I'm here on official business pertaining to a Ms. Hermione Granger and a Mr. Severus Snape."

"_Professor_."

Umbridge blinked, looking around at the three students that had all said the word in unison. "What?"

"Pertaining to Hermione and _Professor _Snape," Harry answered, glaring.

"Yes, well, if _Professor_ Snape would kindly follow me? I need to ask you some questions," Umbridge said.

"I most certainly will not. I demand to know why I am being questioned, as well as why Ms. Granger is being subjected to this too," Snape snapped.

"Very well; Mr. Potter, Mr…_Malfoy_"-here, she sneered at the blonde, who stiffened under her gaze-"please leave. This does not involve either one of you."

Immediately, protests rang up from different sides of the room. Dumbledore finally held his hand up for silence.

"Delores, I believe that they _do_ play a vital role in what you're here to discuss. They are witnesses," the headmaster said, carefully keeping his eyes on only the ministry official.

"You are not the one to make that decision, however, Albus," she simpered.

"Ah, but I am. As Headmaster of Hogwarts, I have the power to act as guardian to anyone in this school, _even over age_," he said, stalling her from talking. "If I believe that a person under my care _or _employment is being treated unfairly _or if I believe I have an idea to make the transaction run smoothly,_ then I have the power to enforce it. You have not taken them from this school to the ministry; therefore, I still have control over most of the situation. You can, of course, relinquish my control by _taking_ them to the ministry, but you don't have sufficient cause to do so, which means you won't be taking them anywhere without a ministry order."

By now, the pudgy toad-faced woman was red in the face from anger.

"So," Dumbledore said, smiling slightly, "I say that Harry and Draco shall be allowed to sit in as reliable witnesses_ on the condition_ that they stay quiet unless spoken to." He turned finally to stare piercingly at the two males, who both nodded and said, "Yes, sir."

"Fine," Umbridge snapped. "Sit down, all of you." She conjured four straight backed uncomfortable wooden chairs.

Draco sniffed disdainfully in the direction of his chair and with a flick, transfigured it into a pure black bean bag chair. With another flick, from Harry's wand this time, the bag expanded to fit both men comfortably. Draco smiled at his boyfriend and pointed his wand towards the bag until it was so filled with stuffing they sat about high as the Hermione did in her chair.

Hermione had transfigured her chair into an elegant black wingback. After she sat, she crossed her legs, placed her left elbow on the armrest, and rested her head against her hand. She wore a look of utter boredom.

Snape simply refused to sit, choosing to Vanish the chair in front of him.

Looking around at them, Umbridge's mouth tightened, but she chose to forgo commenting.

"_Ahem._ I am here to question and investigate the inappropriate relationship between Potions Master, Severus Snape and Head Girl, Hermione Granger."

"You mean our completely _legal_ relationship?"

"Severus…," Dumbledore warned.

"Legal though it may be, it is still inappropriate!"

"Then…why is it legal?" Hermione asked.

"Are you confessing to being in an illicit relationship with your Potions professor, Ms. Granger?"

"Oh, Merlin _no!_" Hermione said, raising one eyebrow. All around the room, eyes widened slightly, except for a pair of blue twinkling ones. "That's ridiculous. No, I'm in a completely _legal_ relationship with a man who _used _to be my Potions professor. However, Professor Dumbledore here has been my Potions professor for the last couple of months. So, no, I am definitely _not_ in a relationship with my Potions professor." She smirked at the angry, gaping woman.

"The ministry has gotten many complaints about your relationship. Students are saying you are treated differently. Is it not true that you have the highest grade in your year in Potions?"

"Yes, but I always have ever since I started this school when I was 11. If you wish to see my tests to validate my claim, ask my professor. Although, I'm not sure Professor Dumbledore would fudge my scores."

"Is it not also true that you both not only _danced_ together at both a Halloween masque ball and a Yule ball, but you also _kissed_ at both?"

"Yes, Ms. Umbridge. You see, when you're in a relationship, you enjoy spending time with the other person in that relationship. You should give it a try sometime."

"Severus…," Dumbledore said again, softly, and tried to suppress the smile on his face. Harry had turned his snort into a very unconvincing cough.

"You were in front of students!"

"Yes, and so were other couples!" Hermione said, smacking her hand on an armrest and rolling her eyes. "We have formed a completely _legal_ relationship, wherein we danced like a normal couple, talked like a normal couple, and _kissed_ like a normal couple…as did other pairs of students! And I have already given testimony that my grades in class were earned by _hard work_, and given to me by _the headmaster of this school_. It might also interest you to know that he went back and re-graded all the assignments from the beginning of the year as well."

"The ministry has reason to believe this relationship is a farce," Umbridge said. "Therefore, it is not covered by law."

"What," Snape said softly, dangerously, "do you mean by that? What reason?"

"We received an anonymous tip that you two only planned this relationship. It said you both just want everyone to assume you're together. What I don't understand is why? Why would a Potions Master with an, _ahem_, questionable past want to put himself in the spotlight and under speculation and investigation by pretending to date a mu….ggleborn Head Girl? And why would this Head Girl submit herself to jokes and teasing, being cast off as a pariah, just for people to believe it? The reason must not be good. And that is exactly what I'm here to figure out. What are you two trying to hide?"

Hermione gazed unwaveringly at the woman. "Nothing. As odd as it may seem, we actually care for one another. Strange concept, isn't it?"

This time it was Draco's turn to snort.

"I don't believe you."

"Mr. Potter, Draco, would you please give your input on the relationship between Hermione and Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, Mr. Potter; please, _do_ tell. Try to explain to me how this came about, when all reports say that both of these people have loathed one another for years," Umbridge smirked at Harry, ignoring Draco altogether.

"War."

"Excuse me, Mr. Potter? What does war have to do with them?"

"That's how this"-he gestured in the direction of his best friend and his professor- "started. If it weren't for the war, these two would never have decided to get together. They worked together during the war after Hermione's 6th year. They spent hours in a lab, her brewing all sorts of healing potions for Madam Pomfrey and the Order, while he worked on more…creative…potions to bring down the other side. When she would finish, they would collaborate and brainstorm ideas to create potions that could help, heal, wound, and destroy. They're brilliant. So, you see, Voldemort is quite the matchmaker." He quirked an eyebrow as he smirked, and heard Severus chuckle quietly.

"Yes, and then we would all be working together to train. They became friends, which must've just gradually turned into something more, like it does in most cases. After the war, we all went our separate ways but when we came back for school, and they saw one another…it was, no pun intended,…magical," Draco added.

"Thank you, _Mister Malfoy_, but I didn't ask you. I was still talking to Potter," Umbridge snapped, not looking at the blonde, who rolled his eyes. He set his hand over Harry's when Harry made to get up.

"Well, both Draco and I have explained the circumstances. I'm sure whoever gave you a tip was just a disgruntled student who can't pass a test, or a disgruntled parent who is upset their child can't pass a test," Harry said.

"No. This isn't over. I'll be watching you two, and eventually I will get you," the ministry woman told Snape and Hermione, who just glared.

"Now you're just looking for trouble," Draco said. "You can't just accept that maybe they haven't done anything wrong! You're so hell bent on revenge that you can't see anything!"

"Silence! I will not be reprimanded by some death eater's gay spawn! No one will take the word of you _or_ Mr. Potter anymore! I _will_ finally bring in this death eater; this sorry excuse for a man. And if I have to bring his little slut down with the coward, then so be it! I-"

"That is ENOUGH." Harry stood now and took a few steps towards the woman he had cut off. She seemed to be smart enough to be scared by the look in Harry's eyes to not continue her rant. "Don't you dare speak another word about Professor Snape. He is one of the BRAVEST men I have ever known. He's done things that you wouldn't attempt in your deepest dreams. He's seen things that would give you nightmares for years to come. He almost died on a daily basis. And all anyone can say is how much of a _coward_ they think he is."

"You don't understand, Mr. Potter, who he really is."

"And you think you do? No, you don't. Get out of here, Delores. None of us are in the wrong here, and you won't find ways of making it seem like we are. Yes, he was a death eater; he made a mistake in his life. But so does everyone. We all see that your parents made a huge one. But he's been paying for his, ten times over. So. Get. Out," Harry said firmly.

"You think this is a game, Mr. Potter? You're not a little kid anymore. You're legally an adult now, and as such, you can be TREATED like one. Other's may have issues in disciplining The Chosen One, but believe me, I do not. You don't want to mess with me," she replied, glaring at him.

Harry raised the back of his hand in front of him. "Yes, I seem to remember that you don't have a problem with _discipline._ However, I don't mind. I survived an encounter with Voldemort almost every year in school. I fought him in a graveyard and returned to tell the tale. I was in the ministry with a group of 5th and 4th years up against a pack of death eaters. And I'm not sure if you remember, but last year I stood toe to toe with Voldemort himself. I looked into his eyes and saw death. And I also _won_," Harry said softly, adopting Snape's way of speaking dangerously. "Telling me I'm going up against you rather feels like a vacation after all that."

Umbridge huffed and looked around. Draco stood behind Harry, his hand on his shoulder. Hermione sat in her chair, glaring at the woman. Snape stood to the side of Hermione's chair with one hand resting on its back, and the other hand holding his wand. Dumbledore sat at his desk, peering sternly over his spectacles at her. Without another word, she swept from the office.

XXX

"Ah, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, and Ms. Granger; I trust you all had a good holiday?" Professor McGonagall greeted them their first Tuesday back. "Good. Well, I hope you have all been practicing; today we're going to start digging in deeper for our transformations. I believe, with the speed in which you have all been grasping this art, that you may all achieve your shapes by the end of the month."

The three friends looked at one another excitedly. Snape had watched as they all practiced and studied at least once a day over the holiday.

An hour later, the exhausted friends were packing up to leave when McGonagall called Hermione over.

"I'll just be a second. You can wait outside if you want to," she told the boys, and walked over to her teacher.

"Severus' birthday is this Friday, on the 9th," her professor told her without preamble.

"What?"

"His birthday. He turns 39. I'm telling you this for a few reasons. One: to piss him off; he hates his birthday and hates if people make a spectacle of it. Two: to warn you that he may be in a foul mood and you might want to stay clear of him that day. And three: I hope that you will ignore the second one. Severus has had a hard life, and that's putting it mildly. He deserves more than what he gets and he deserves more than what he thinks he does. I give you this information in the hope that you will use it towards making it out to be a happy birthday. I think after 39 years he deserves at least one."

With that, McGonagall swept from the room leaving a speechless Head Girl behind.

"What should I do? If I show up with a cake and streamers, he'll probably hand me over to Malfoy himself, gift-wrapped and all. If I don't do anything, he'll be happy, or at least pretend to be, but I'll feel like shit."

"I think you should do something. Last year on his birthday, we sat around the house drinking expensive whiskey. I told him 'Happy Birthday', he inclined his head, and then we went back to getting pissed. And I have a feeling that was probably his best birthday in a long time. The man deserves more," Draco told her, looking up from his animagus book.

"I agree," Harry said, not looking up from his Potions essay. "I remember the birthday before second year when you all sent me cards; I wanted to cry because I had never gotten one. The smallest gesture can make a difference."

"But what do I do?"

"Come on now, it's not _that _hard to figure out. He's a bloke, and deep down, even the most honorable men are still men," Draco told her, going back to his book.

"What's that supposed to mean? Should I just….oh. _OH_," Hermione's eyes grew wide, and her grin matched it.

"There you go," Draco murmured, smiling.

Friday couldn't come fast enough for Hermione. She had a plan, and it was damn well going to work. She just had to get through dinner first.

She hadn't talked to Snape all day. She had carefully avoided him, as part of the plan. She had the house elves in on the plan. Now, she just had to calm down and go through with _the plan_.

Taking a swift glance behind her, Hermione's eyes met McGonagall's for a second, and the older witch winked. Hermione broke out in a huge grin once more, confidence coming back.

"Breath, Hermione," Harry said, rubbing her hand. "It's going to go great."

"And we better not see you until sometime tomorrow. Or later, if it goes _really_ well," Draco told her, giving her a lascivious wink.

She saw the staff starting to rise and students start to trickle out; it was time.

"Wish me luck," she said, smiling knowingly at her friends.

"Tell him I said happy birthday when all the...uh…festivities are through," Harry said, wincing slightly. Hermione just laughed and trotted off.


	26. Chapter 26

(A/N: contains some smutty goodness…so if that's not your thing you can skip to….the next chapter, really. Just skip this altogether.)

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

Severus sighed to himself as he walked into his sitting room. He was dressed for relaxation: some worn, comfortable sleep pants he'd had for years and a long sleeved black thermal shirt with a deep, stretched out neckline. He was hoping he wouldn't be called from his room tonight. He was feeling his age today. He had briefly considered telling Hermione it was his birthday but ultimately decided against it. He knew if he did, she would feel compelled to get him something, especially since he was the one telling her. No, it was best if everyone forgot it.

Of course, everyone didn't. Albus still came down and paid him a visit that morning, bringing his traditional present of scotch and socks. Another birthday come, and another pair of thick green socks. The headmaster was obsessed with giving socks to his employees, thinking that one never had enough. Snape disagreed, and had put them in the drawer filled with the rest of the socks Albus had gotten him over the years. The scotch he kept out.

From Minerva, she had given him a new notebook charmed to repel stains, wear, tear, and theft. It was perfect for his research, even if she had made it a brilliant scarlet red with gold pages, enlisting Flitwick's help to combine transfiguration with a permanent charm so there was no way he could cover, change, or alter the colors in any way. He was impressed, even if he was loath to admit it. She also got him a gag gift of catnip, just as he gave to her every Christmas and birthday. Although a panther, he had enough feline in him to appreciate the smell of it, which Minerva found hilarious. Very few people knew how close he was to the witch; she wasn't quite like a mother to him, but more of that favorite aunt you have that can be disciplined but is an enormous amount of fun.

The rest of the staff had given him the usual: a potions book from Madam Pince, herbs for potions from Poppy and Pomona, quills charmed with red ink inside them for grading from Filius, etc. All in all, it was a fairly satisfying birthday.

He settled into his favorite chair with his new book from Madam Pince and two fingers of scotch with a sigh. Just as he was getting comfortable, however, there came a knock at his door.

_This had better be good,_ he thought, thinking of his Slytherins making trouble in the common room. He would flay them where they stood.

Taking a second to put his most harsh, intimidating snarl on his face, Snape flung open the door with a dramatic flourish. It was all for nothing, however, when he eyed the young girl standing in front of him, clearly not intimidated in the least.

"Hermione?"

XXX

Hermione had to stop herself from laughing outright in Severus' face when he flung open the door; it was just so _dramatic_.

"I'm sorry you wasted your facial expression on me, Severus. For the record, it was very scary and intimidating," she said as she ducked under his arm and into his rooms.

Locking and warding the door, Snape turned to face her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too, honey," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes and walking up to him. When she stood toe to toe with him, she ran her hands slowly up his arms and ended by cradling his face. Pulling slightly to show she wanted him to bend, she stood on tiptoe to receive his kiss. She sighed into his mouth when she felt his arms come around her waist.

Breaking the kiss, Hermione kissed her way up his jaw and towards his ear, where she whispered, "Happy birthday, Severus." She smiled when she saw his eyes widen and he pulled back, disengaging himself from the embrace.

Walking over to his chair, he picked up his scotch and took a sip. "How did you know?"

"Oh, I've known for awhile actually," she told him, chuckling slightly at his raised eyebrow.

"Albus," he growled, and she shook her head. He closed his eyes for a second, and then opened them up just to roll them. "Minerva," he sighed, and she just shrugged. "I hope you didn't get me anything. I don't need your presents or your pity." He sat down.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione gathered up her famed Gryffindor courage and straddled his lap in his chair.

"Well, that's good because I didn't bring either. However, Draco and Harry both send their best," she said, watching as his eyes darkened with the close contact they were making. She knew her robe was giving him an ample view of her cleavage, and she couldn't wait for him to see what she was wearing under it. "And, although I didn't bring anything for you, I do have some plans worked out." He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Melly!" Hermione said, loud and clear. A second later, an elf popped into the room and quickly set up, leaving again in less than a minute.

Snape stared curiously at the enlarged table next to his chair and at the giant silver serving cover. Hermione tapped her wand on his chair, magically widening it so her knees were more comfortable on either side of his legs. Taking the scotch from his hand, she set it on the table and finally grabbed the top of the cover, revealing what was underneath.

Snape's eyes widened slightly and his mouth quirked upwards at the edges as he took in what he was seeing: strawberries. There were dozens of perfectly ripe, juicy strawberries, all arranged perfectly around a small pot of chocolate.

"I know they're one of your favorites; an…indulgence you rarely let yourself have. But if you can't go crazy on your birthday, then when can you?" Hermione asked him, picking up a plump strawberry and bringing it to her mouth, keeping eye contact with him. She slowly put her lips around it and bit, closing her eyes in pleasure at the wonderful taste. She was going to have to remember to thank the house elves again. Opening her eyes, she saw that his eyes had further darkened after watching her, and she felt a telltale stirring under her that let her know he was enjoying it.

Picking up another, she dipped it halfway in the chocolate, letting the excess drizzle back into the pot before bringing it to Snape mouth. He slowly parted his lips, watching her the whole time, and struggled not to close his eyes as he tasted the perfect fruit.

She grabbed another, and repeated the motion, except she "accidentally" let some excess chocolate drip onto his chest and chin as she brought the berry to his mouth.

"Oops," she said, unconvincingly, and dipped her head to his chest where she licked a slow line, thoroughly making sure she got all the chocolate. She heard his quickened breath and met his dark eyes and she bent forwards to lick a light, slow line on his chin. Instead of bringing her head away, she let her tongue travel the extra few centimeters to his mouth, where she proceeded to kiss him, letting him taste the chocolate with her. He groaned into her mouth as she rubbed her whole body against his.

When she finally sat back, both of their lips were swollen from kissing. Keeping eye contact, she reached out and dipped her finger into the warm chocolate, and then brought it back over. She trailed it from his chest up to under his ear, and went to town licking it up. By the time she got up to his ear, his hands were on the cheeks of her ass, and he was squeezing.

"Hermione…," Snape said, half pleading, half warning. She didn't want him to hold back anymore, though. She wanted him; all of him.

"I think your shirt is getting in the way, Severus," she said by way of response. She was going to slowly peel it off, but she found that she getting impatient. Instead, she ran her hands down his chest and closed her eyes. When she opened them, his shirt was off and folded on the chair next to them. "Much better."

Suddenly, his face was clouded over and he stiffened. She cocked her head slightly. "What's wrong, Severus?"

"I wish for my shirt back on," he said, through gritted teeth.

Hermione tried not to let the hurt show on her face. Carefully, she went through recent events in her head, but she could think of no reason for him to be acting like this. She knew, however, that he had a way of making something insignificant to others mean a great deal to him. But what could make him so uncomfortable? He was fine a moment ago. Why would being shirtless be so horrible? Sure, he had some scars, but so did she. Almost everyone did, these days. Maybe it was a scar or mark she hadn't seen yet and he was trying to hide it from-

_Oh_, she thought. Her eyes darted quickly to where his left arm lay on the arm rest. She slowly moved her right hand to cover it and felt him stiffen further, if possible. Slowly, so slowly, she tried to turn his resisting arm over. The whole time, she kept her eyes on his face. Finally, he arm began to turn over. She looked down and saw his mark, faded grey against his pallid skin. It no longer scared her, however. She had seen the marks up close when they burned black and writhed. This one lay dormant and faded.

Keeping one hand on his arm, she looked back up at his face as her other hand once again dipped a finger in the chocolate. His eyes widened in disbelief as she trailed it across his left forearm. He was too shocked to do anything as she bent down, finally breaking eye contact, and licked the mark clean.

Looking back at him, she said, "Severus, it's clean now." She hoped he understood what she was putting behind her words, but just in case he didn't or was too stubborn to believe it, she opened her eyes wider, opening her mind as she did so. She knew by the slight hitch in his breathing that he was seeing into her head. She quickly brought forth everything she wanted to say but didn't know how to articulate.

She wanted him to know that he had done more than enough to effectively clean away the mark. He was a hero, and as far as she was concerned, it was only a reminder of what he went through to make up for one misguided decision made at a young age. She wanted him to believe that she didn't care that it was there at all.

Finally, he closed his eyes and breathed in deep. He stayed like that for a few moments, gathering himself, until his eyes shot open in surprise when he felt a warm trickle on his chest, making a line to his stomach. Hermione was using her wand to direct a drizzle of chocolate down his upper body.

Using her finger, she swirled some of it around, then sucked her finger clean. She heard his soft groan and tried not to smirk. When his chest was finally finished, she went to reach for another strawberry, but was stopped by his hand.

He turned her face towards him and leaned forward, hesitating a breath away from her mouth before slowly licking some chocolate she had left on the corner of her mouth.

"This hardly seems fair," he said. "If I have to get dirty and sticky, then you should too."

"I think you're absolutely right," she answered, and stood up. She reached up to unbutton her robe and slowly peeled it away before letting it fall and pool at her feet.

Snape tried to keep his jaw from dropping as he gazed at what the witch before him was wearing; or rather…not wearing. She was naked; completely naked from head to toe.

She straddled his lap again as she reached for her wand. Once again, she used it to direct a stream of chocolate, but this time onto her chest. She arched her back slightly as the warm chocolate ran down her skin, making her moan softly. She grabbed a strawberry and swirled it around some chocolate on her nipple, then brought it up to take a bite, making soft noises of contentment as she chewed.

She was suddenly in the air as Snape quickly stood and held her, pointing his wand at the chair to make it recline almost fully before laying her back down on it. He then proceeded to make sure every speck of chocolate was cleaned from his witch's upper body.

She writhed and moaned under his ministrations, crying out once or twice when he gently nipped with his teeth at a nipple.

She felt the warm chocolate on her body again and looked down to see him holding the pot and slowly pouring it onto her thighs and where she was almost throbbing with desire. He picked up a rather large strawberry and ran it through the chocolate on her thighs before smirking at her swiftly and dipping in between her legs. He swirled the strawberry around her mound, dipping in now and then to mix with the evidence of her desire. Once or twice he skimmed over her clit making her writhe even more.

It was unbelievably erotic to Hermione as she watched Severus bring the strawberry to his mouth and eat it in one bite. It was nothing, however, compared to how she felt when he bent his head to clean the chocolate.

He started from her thighs and worked inwards. When he was done with one thigh, he would switch to the other, always stopping short of where she wanted him to put his mouth the most. Finally, all the chocolate was gone from her legs and he smiled at her fleetingly before bending his head once more.

Ravish was the only word Hermione could think of to use as he continued his assault on her with his mouth. He was proving that his tongue wasn't just for sharpening insults at people.

Soon she lost the ability to think clearly at all as he zeroed in on her swollen clit. Flicking his tongue back and forth on it, he slowly inserted two fingers into her. He groaned around her clit as he felt how tight she was. He started pumping his fingers into her, curling them just slightly to hit that spot that made her toes curl. His other hand was splayed on one thigh to keep her still and prevent her from crushing his head with her thighs.

"Oh god, Severus! Severus, Severus, Severus…," Hermione started chanting like a mantra. He felt her inner walls start to convulse and quickened his fingers, sucking on her clit as she came undone.

Finally, he sat up as she tried to. Both had slap happy grins on their faces.

"This is no fair, really. I mean, it's YOUR birthday, not mine. You deserve the pleasure," she said.

"Trust me. That was pleasurable for me. I haven't heard my name said that many times in a row before. I find I quite like it," he replied, smirking at her blush. He stood to help her up.

When she was sure her legs weren't going to give out under her, she placed her palms on his chest and gently pushed him onto the seat.

"My turn," she said, and smiled evilly. He had just enough time to widen his eyes before his pants were suddenly gone in the same way his shirt was, boxers and all.

She leaned back to admire his body. He was thin, but not to the point of unhealthy. It was more of a thin that came from a high metabolism and genetics. He wasn't just skin and bones, however. You could see the muscles under his skin. Wiry though they were, they were still there. Throughout his arms, chest, thighs, and legs, the muscles were fairly prominent, no doubt honed from the years of spying. A slow spy was a dead spy. Her eyes finally came to rest on the very apparent appendage standing up between his legs. Having only had sex with 2 people her whole life, and could count the number of times on one hand, she didn't have much to compare him to, but knew by sight that he was bigger than the ones she had known. He was definitely larger than average.

"Do I pass your test?" his snide voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to see him looking aloof, but with a small spark of what might've been insecurity in his eyes. It was that, more than anything, which made her courage come back full force and smile up at him.

"I say you get an 'Outstanding', Professor," she said, and grabbed the pot of chocolate. His eyes closed as she poured some on his erection, but his eyes shot open when he felt her mouth close around him.

She was too impatient to bother with the foreplay of teasing him like he did to her, and honestly she didn't know how much he could take before he snapped. So instead, she set right to work, swirling the warm chocolate around in her mouth with her tongue and gliding over his head and the rest of his cock.

Soon, he was grabbing her hair and pulling her off.

"The chocolate is gone," he said, sounding breathless.

"I know," she said, smiling.

"If you continue like that, this will be over way too soon," he warned.

"And I have all weekend, Severus," she replied cheekily, and placed her mouth on him once more before he could protest. After a few more minutes, she felt his balls tighten up under her hand and quickened her pace, swirling her tongue and gliding her hand up and down his shaft.

When he came in her mouth, he threw his head back and groaned loud, over and over, with each spurt.

When he was finished, she smiled up at him with a Cheshire cat grin.

"Ready for a shower?" she asked, watching him grin sleepily back.

XXX

The shower had been fun, both parties teasing the other. It woke Severus back up at least. Finally, they decided to get out of the shower when Snape made a comment about drowning while kissing her.

After they had both cast a drying spell on themselves, Snape picked her up and carried her to his room, laying her down on the bed. His mattress was massive and comfortable. It was the kind of bed that made you hate the world for making you get out of it every morning; maybe that was why he hated the world so much.

Lying down next to her, he lightly stroked her stomach, back and forth.

"You've made this an excellent birthday, Hermione. Thank you."

"The night isn't over yet, Severus," she replied, smirking.

"No, but you don't need to do any more for me. This is already miles above any birthday I've had in the past."

"I'm not doing this just because it's your birthday. I'm doing this because I _want_ to; your birthday is just an excuse," she laughed, and he lightly chuckled.

He traced his fingers absentmindedly over a longer scar that went across her abdomen.

"From my fifth year," she murmured.

"Hm?"

"The scar you're tracing, I got it in my fifth year from a death eater at the Ministry of Magic."

Snape stopped tracing it. "Who?"

"Dolohov, I believe. He was Silenced, though, so no one know _what_ curse her used. But Madam Pomfrey believes that it's best because the curse wasn't able to do the damage he wanted."

"No, he was never good with nonverbal spells."

"It's ugly looking, I know. Sometimes I forget it's there, but after I got it, it was the only thing I could look at."

"Hermione, you're beautiful. I have plenty of scars; we all do now. Yours is just a reminder of your bravery," he told her softly, and leaned over to kiss her.

She felt a faint stirring against her thigh and reached her hand down to lightly trail her fingers along his rising erection, making his eyes roll back slightly.

"Hermione," he warned softly, and she glanced up at him. "This is fast coming to a time when we won't be able to turn back, if you don't stop now."

"What makes you think I want to stop?"

Suddenly, he was on top of her. "I'm not a gentle man, Hermione. I'm not a soft, gentle lover either. You should stop, now." As if to prove his point, he lowered his head and began an assault on her neck that had her moving underneath him and panting. When he bit down on a spot he had sucked on for a bit, she hissed and fisted her hands into his head. He inwardly smirked and waited for her to pull him away. It was a shame, but he knew he was right to warn her before they got carried away and she decided no later on. However, the pull never came. Instead, he felt her gripping his hair and pushing him closer.

Raising his head to look at her, he saw her eyes filled with the same desire that he now felt. She wrapped her legs around his back and ground herself against him, making both of them moan.

Positioning himself at her entrance, he looked at her for permission one last time. She nodded her head and he started to slide in.

Snape groaned and had to force himself not to just impale himself in her. She was hot and wet, but so damn _tight_. Even being as wet as she was, she was still almost too tight to accept him. Inch by inch he worked his way in, pulling back slightly now and then just to drive back in, working his way. Finally he was completely sheathed in her body, but he didn't stop to admire the feeling; he couldn't. He had to _move_.

Hermione was thinking along the same lines and strained against him.

"If you don't start moving, I'm going to _Imperio_ you," she growled, and he laughed.

Soon, there was no talking. Well, not a conversation at least. Severus found Hermione to be a very vocal person during sex and it turned him on immensely.

He waved his hand towards the head board and cushioned it as the thought of Hermione being in danger of a concussion swept through his mind. Bringing her right leg up, he hooked her ankle over his shoulder and made her lie sideways while he stayed upright, pounding into her.

When he flipped her over and entered her swiftly from behind, Hermione cried out, and fisted her hands into the pillows around her.

Her hand strayed to between her legs and she moaned again when her fingers found her clit. She started rubbing herself faster and faster, feeling her release coming but not being close enough. It was maddening.

"That's right, play with yourself, witch. Make yourself come around my dick."

"Oh, god!" she cried out, his voice washing over her like velvet. "Oh god, Severus, I'm coming!" She felt herself peak, and felt her toes start to curl, and then suddenly she toppled over the edge and into bliss.

Snape felt her contracting around him and tried to hold back, but it was a lost battle. He began to jackhammer into her frantically, feeling his own release coming.

Throwing his head back with a shout, Snape came inside Hermione. When he was finished, he slowed his thrusts until he was still and hovered over her, breathing heavily. He had just enough energy to pull out and move to the side before he collapsed next to her.

For awhile, they just lay there trying to get their breathing back to normal. Finally, Hermione turned on her side, facing away from him and scooted herself backwards until she forced him to spoon her, which he readily complied with.

Both lapsed into a comfortable, sated, and sleepy silence. Snape was tracing her body with his fingers again, and Hermione was smiling into her pillow.

"So, Hermione…," Snape because, sounding too innocent for her liking.

"Yes, Severus?"

His fingers started tracing her hips and ass cheeks.

"I was wondering…," he said, trailing off with his innocent voice again. His fingers started to trace little circles between their bodies on her ass.

Suddenly, her eyes flew open.

"Not a chance, Severus," she said.

"But…well…it IS my birthday, and it was just a question…you didn't even let me finish," he said, keeping the same voice.

"Severus, no appendage of yours is going NEAR MY ASS," she replied.

Snape sighed heavily. "Ok. That's fine, really. I mean, I'm used to birthday wishes not coming true. I'm no stranger to it," he said, dejectedly.

"Good."

"Fine," he growled in his normal voice again and slung his arm across her body. She smirked into her pillow, knowing he was upset she didn't give in to him.

"Did you honestly think I would fall for that, Severus?"

"I was trying to appeal to your bleeding Gryffindor heart."

"You're so sweet," she said, laughing slightly. She paused for a second, and then said quietly, "Happy birthday, Severus."

She felt his arm tighten around her, bringing her closer to him.

"Thank you, Hermione," he whispered into her hair.

They both fell asleep with the hint of a smile on their faces.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Wow, so, this is the first author's note I've written. Thank you to everyone who has read my story up to this point. This is the first fanfic I've EVER attempted to write, and the reviews I've gotten so far have made me confident that it's worth finishing. Please, keep reviewing. It really urges me to write quicker so I can appease the masses lol.


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

Draco openly smirked at Hermione as she walked into their dorm Sunday night. He was standing in front of the entertainment center browsing the movie collection, looking for one to watch.

"Well, I haven't seen you since Friday. I'm guessing it went well then?"

"A simple nod or shake of the head will do," Harry's voice came from the couch, and his head popped up a second later. "We really, _really_ don't want to know the details."

"Speak for yourself, Potter!" Draco said, laughing.

"It was…wonderful. Harry's in luck, because I really don't know HOW to describe it," Hermione said, walking over to her armchair. Draco's beanbag chair was sitting on the other side of the couch and she raised her eyebrows at it. "Really, Draco?"

It was designed as Harry's smiling face.

"What? I think it's sweet," Harry said, grinning at Draco and winking.

"I think it's creepy," she said. "So, what are you watching?"

"What about _Braveheart_? It sounded cool, so I ordered it. But now I'm looking at the cover and it doesn't seem as cool as I thought it would be…," Draco trailed off, looking at the man on the cover holding a large sword.

"What about _Terminator 2_? I love the morphing cop, what's he called? The T-1000? Awesome," Harry said. Draco's eyes lit up.

"What? I haven't seen that one yet! I forgot I owned the _Terminator_'s! There's a cop that's a metamorphmagus? Like Tonks?"

"Um…well…kind of, I guess. You just have to watch it; it's the best of the _Terminator_'s," Harry said. "I remember Dudley watching it a lot."

"I'm going to take a shower then go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning, boys." Hermione stood up and stretched, then winced slightly. Draco noticed and smirked at her again.

"You would think that sleeping with a Potions Master, he would give you a pain potion after shagging one silly for a whole weekend," Draco said idly, and casually moved his head as a throw pillow sailed past him. "She throws things a lot, doesn't she?" he said to Harry.

"You have no idea," Harry replied, and promptly got hit in the back of the head with another pillow as Hermione walked into her room.

Hermione was already halfway through breakfast when Harry and Draco dragged themselves into the Great Hall and sat down next to her.

"Good morning," she said, looking at their rumpled figures and trying not to laugh.

"What's so good about it?" Harry growled and reached for his cup which instantly filled with tea.

"Who needs _Crucio_ when Mondays exist?" Draco asked no one in particular and let his head fall to the table with a _thud_.

Chuckling, Hermione got Draco a cup of tea as well, and tried to coax him to drink it by spelling it to repeatedly nudge against his cheek. "How late did you two stay up?"

"We just went to sleep around f-f-four a.m.," Harry said, yawning widely.

"Well, it's your own fault then, isn't it?"

"We never said it wasn't, and if you don't tell this bloody cup to stop hitting me, I won't be held accountable for my actions," Draco growled, forehead still on the table. Finally, Draco raised his head and stared blurredly at the cup.

"Coffee," he barked, and the tea disappeared, replaced with the black liquid. Draco leaned in and smelled it, a smile forming on his face. After adding his customary spoon of sugar and dash of cream, he reclined in his seat and sipped his breakfast.

"Are you both ready for the lesson tomorrow with Professor McGonagall?" Hermione asked idly, leafing through a book on animagus transformations she had disguised to look like a potions text so no one would know.

The legs of Draco's chair hit the floor with a thud. "Shit, I forgot! Fuck. I'll just have to practice today and catch up."

Harry was wolfing down bacon and eggs and just nodded. Finally, he swallowed and said, "Yeah, tomorrow is a big day. We could be real animagi tomorrow. Or…," he trailed off.

"We could fail and have to keep trying," Draco finished.

"Yeah."

"Well, I think it should go smoothly. I don't see why not. And Professor McGonagall already said we're progressing faster than normal, but this is a big step, so even if it _doesn't _work tomorrow, it's kind of ok, because most people wouldn't be ready to even _attempt_ this stage for another five or so months," Hermione said, closing her book with a snap.

That night, all three friends sat in the living room of the Head dorm, meditating and revising. Finally, they all just sat back and tried to relax.

"I'm so nervous," Hermione said. Both boys just nodded. "I mean…what if I come out a field mouse?" At that, they all burst into laughter.

"Hey, that's not as bad as me if I come out a dodo bird!" Draco said, making them laugh harder.

"I think it's cool that I won't be my patronus, though. I was worried for awhile that I'd become a stag," Harry said a bit soberly.

"There's no direct correlation between a patronus and an animagus though. For some, it's the same, but not usually. An animagus form comes from within you, your every fiber and being, whereas a patronus comes from within…but can be changed. Once you become an animagus, you can't change it. But your patronus can be manipulated and changed by your heart," Hermione explained.

"So…does that mean that Snape still loves my mum?" Harry asked hesitantly. He wanted to know, but knew it would probably be a touchy subject with Snape's current girlfriend in the room. He was right; her knuckles went white as she gripped the chair she was sitting on and gave a forced smile.

"I'm not sure. I've yet to ask him about that part of his life."

"You should leave well enough alone and NOT ask about it. Trust me, Hermione," Draco said.

Hermione wanted to trust Draco, but for the rest of the night she couldn't shake the image of Lily Potter from her mind.

"Well, it's a big step today. If this goes well, I will have three new animagi in this room. If not, then we continue working. Just know that you should all be very proud of yourselves for getting this far, this fast. If it doesn't work, then you are still way ahead of others," Professor McGonagall said after they had finished meditating and revising. "I'm going to put up screens between all three of you so you won't be distracted by the other person trying to change at the same time.

She transfigured a couple standing screens between the three friends that were taller than the boys and long enough to hide about ten people behind. Not knowing what animals they may or may not turn into, McGonagall didn't want to take a chance of one of them being large and _still_ distracting the others because it peeked out from behind the curtain.

"Harry, Draco, Hermione," McGonagall said, staring at each of them as she said their names, "please close your eyes. Reach deep inside of you and feel for that pull that you all felt the last few sessions. Relax, and let it wash over you; let it pull you now."

All three students stood still, but with relaxed facial expressions. They didn't notice the Potions Master slip into the classroom to watch, nodding his hello to the Transfiguration teacher. He sat behind the desk that she was leaning on.

"Harry, Draco, Hermione," McGonagall began again, "please transform now."

There were a few moments of silence where even Snape leaned forward in his chair, expecting the worst. Suddenly, all three students began to blur and curl into themselves slightly. Less than a minute later, three animals stood where her students once were.

"Now, please change back," she told them, holding her breath. A minute later, the students were standing before her again.

"Oh, bravo!" she exclaimed, clapping. Snape gave a slow clap as well, a half smile on his face, impressed against his wishes. The three friends were all grinning and clapping for themselves as well.

"Now, change back again, so I can mark down what you are and then let you all see."

Snape got up from his chair and came around the desk after they were back in animal form. He was anxious for the reveal for them.

McGonagall conjured three large covered mirrors in front of each student.

"I'm going to let you see yourselves first, then I will remove the screens."

All the covers flew off the mirrors, and three different animal noises of surprise filled the room, making the two professors laugh. McGonagall waved her wand and the screens disappeared. The animal sounds were louder this time.

Where Harry stood was a lion. A full grown lion with a mane that was almost completely black and extremely shaggy. Harry sat back on his hind legs and used one massive paw to sweep the shaggy mane off his forehead. There was no trace of a lightening shaped scar on his forehead and he breathed in relief, although there was a slight patch of fur that was slightly lighter than the rest where his scar usually was. His eyes had even changed color, surprising him. They were a yellow color now.

Draco was most definitely NOT a ferret; he was a peregrine falcon. His eyes were the same gray as always, but it made him look even fiercer. He had studied different types of birds after he found out that he would most likely become one, and remembered that peregrine falcons could fly at speeds reaching 320 km/h. He couldn't wait to test it out.

"Well, this is…different," Snape said, staring at where Hermione once was. "I've heard of cats, and panthers, and tigers, and even a mountain lion. I've never before seen an animagus turn into…a lynx."

Hermione turned around in a circle, looking at herself at every angle in the mirror. She thought she was pretty cute, actually.

"A Eurasian lynx to be precise, Severus, and a beautiful one at that," McGonagall said, coming over to mark down Hermione's features. It seemed that the only human characteristic that carried over were her eyes.

Draco started squawking and flapping about, bouncing on his feet in celebration. He hopped over to Hermione and started beating her with his wings, and making a noise that may have been laughter. Hermione started batting at him and was grinning, while she jumped around. Harry sauntered over and after looking at them for a second, simply slumped over and fell on them, yawning loudly.

Draco started squawking indigently, stuck underneath the massive lion, but he wasn't heard very well because both professors were laughing hysterically.

"What did I miss?"

Both professors turned towards the door to see Dumbledore surveying the scene with amusement. He looked somewhat surprised to see Snape laughing hard enough to produce tears. Finally McGonagll was able to explain what Harry did to his friends and Dumbledore chucked heartily.

"Will you all change back for me, please?" the headmaster asked, and watched as the animals changed back into three students. Harry was still lying on top of his best friend and boyfriend, smiling widely.

"I can't believe we're anamagi now!" Hermione exclaimed once they all returned to their Head dorm.

"I'm so happy with my animal," Draco said as he sat down in his bean bag chair.

"Even though it's completely stereotypical and I know I'll never hear the end of it from Severus, I'm happy I'm a lion," Harry laughed, sitting next to Draco and enlarging his bean bag.

"I think your lion is hilarious," Draco remarked.

"Why?"

"You're Scar!"

"What?"

Hermione started laughing at Harry's confused look, and knew where Draco was heading.

"In _The Lion King_! The bad lion was named Scar and he was the only one with a black mane. And I think it's funny that the one thing you _didn't _want to carry over to your animagus form was your scar, but you came out looking like an animal _named_ Scar!" Draco was rolling in his chair by this point, laughing.

"How long have you been waiting to point that out?" Harry asked amusedly.

"Ever since McGonagall lifted the screens," he replied, shrugging. "I tried saying something but I guess no one else speaks falcon."

The next morning at breakfast, Hermione was engrossed reading over her homework for Muggle Studies that she didn't notice the black falcon flying towards her until Draco poked her with his fork.

"What?" she asked irritably. In response, he lifted his eyes to the bird flying at them.

Hermione rolled her eyes as it dropped the letter in front of her.

"Maybe you should read it in Dumbledore's office, Hermione," Draco asked, stopping her before she opened it. She could tell he was remembering when she ran out of the hall before and lowered her eyes a bit in shame at the memory.

She finished eating calmly and then rose and headed out of the hall with her friends striding with her. When they reached the headmasters office, Snape was already inside pacing.

"You took your time," he snapped, and Hermione scowled at him.

"What does Lucius have to say, Hermione?" Dumbledore asked gently, ignoring Snape like usual.

Rolling her eyes again, Hermione slit open the letter and opened it. Her eyes scanned it for a second and then she paled, dropping the letter to the floor and covering her mouth with her hands; her eyes were wide with fright.

"Hermione! What's wrong?" Harry asked anxiously, stooping to look her in the eyes, but careful not to shake her, not with the Potions Master there.

"Ah…," Draco said. He had picked up the letter and read it, going a bit pale himself.

"What does it say, Draco?" Snape asked irritably. He was standing behind Hermione with his hands on her shoulders now, glaring at the offensive paper.

Draco turned the parchment over and held it up for everyone to see. The writing was large and clear and only a sentence long:

_**You're lucky this wasn't a portkey.**_

A/N: I just want to thank everyone for reviewing, again. Please continue to tell me how you're liking (or not liking) this story. I know this was a short chapter, but I felt like this was a good ending for it, and didn't want to drag it on for the sake of length. More updates soon!


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

"The only option you have is to start scanning them before you touch them," Harry said after the initial shock wore off. They were still in Dumbledore's office, but only the Headmaster was sitting.

"No, I think that's too obvious," Dumbledore said quietly.

"What? Of course it's obvious but the only other way is to risk Hermione being portkeyed out of here!" Harry shot back at him. "Plus, Lucius knows she read the letter. He'll know it's just an act when she acts all cool and confident and doesn't do a scan!"

"I won't tolerate being yelled at by you, Harry," Dumbledore responded, still talking quietly.

"Then you'll have to tolerate it from me, because I actually agree with Potter," Snape shot at him.

"What do you think, Draco?" Dumbledore asked the blonde.

"Damn what Draco thinks! She's going to scan her letters! She can do it inconspicuously, I know she can," Snape said, voice going lower the angrier he got. Harry surreptitiously took a few steps away from him.

"Draco?" Dumbledore asked again, ignoring Snape.

Draco looked around the room at the occupants, his gaze lingering on Hermione with a pained expression, before looking back at Dumbledore.

"Draco?" he repeated.

"He had a reason for putting it in there. It could be part of some sinister plot, or it could just be to make us do what we're doing now. If she doesn't do a scan on them, he'll know she's trying to play it cool and may step up the game. If she does do a scan, she could be doing exactly what he wanted her to. If she doesn't, she runs the risk of getting whisked out of there, or _worse_; we're talking curses and poisons and the like. If she does, she may be in for something bad as well, if it is part of his plan," Draco finally said.

"So, I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't, then?" Hermione asked.

"Basically. With Lucius, everything has a reason. Unfortunately, it might only make sense to him. We're talking about an unhinged man, here. He's always been demented and now he's just gone off the deep end. There's really no answer here," Draco told everyone.

"Like hell there isn't! She's going to be safe, and damn to Lucius and his trickery!" Snape spat out.

"No, I believe we should continue on how we are," Dumbledore replied.

"And if she gets kidnapped?" Snape shot at him.

"We have wards in place so that doesn't happen, and she's constantly around people," Dumbledore tried to reassure him, but Harry cut in.

"Um, I hate to put a damper on your plan there, Headmaster, but I seem to recall an event taking place my 4th year where I was portkeyed away during the evening. Yes, I was in the middle of a maze, but that was surrounded by crowds of students, parents, and teachers alike, not including the professors circling the maze, you being one of them yourself," Harry said, and Dumbledore's cheeks tinted a faint pink. "And, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember THAT turning out well either."

"Yes, I think I remember that. Didn't a student die, and a Dark Lord arise?" Snape asked Harry, cocking one eyebrow.

"Something like that, yes. The details are a bit blurry," Harry said, matching his tone. Snape looked faintly amused before he turned back to the Headmaster.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not budging. I believe this is the best way," Dumbledore said.

"How can you even justify that?" Snape said, striding to his desk.

"Easy. If Lucius gets upset as Draco said he might, he will make an attempt. If he does, we can get him sooner than we thought. We'll finally have Lucius Malfoy in custody!"

A ringing silence followed this statement, and Snape slowly bent to place his hands on Dumbledore's desk, leaning forward towards the old man.

"Are you telling me," Snape said low enough to be almost hard to hear, "that this is another one of your schemes for 'the greater good?' That you're using Hermione as BAIT. That Hermione's safety is of no CONSEQUENCE as long as we get LUCIUS?"

"Severus, you're overreacting-" Dumbledore started.

"DON'T TELL ME I'M OVERREACTING, OLD MAN!" Snape yelled, making the three students jumped. "SHE'S NOT GOING TO BE YOUR SCAPEGOAT THIS TIME! WHAT, YOU DIDN'T GET YOUR FIX WITH ME OR HARRY, SO NOW YOU'RE GOING AFTER HERMIONE?" Dumbledore paled slightly, and opened his mouth to respond, but Snape was on a role now. "THE STRINGS ARE CUT NOW, ALBUS! YOU'RE NO LONGER ANYONE'S MASTER! YOU MAY BE IN CHARGE OF THE SCHOOL, BUT THAT IS MY GIRLFRIEND, AND ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST MINDS OF THIS AGE AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I SIT BACK AND LET YOU ENDANGER HER JUST TO GET ONE PIECE OF SHIT INTO YOUR CLAWS SOONER THAN EXPECTED! WE'RE GOING TO GET LUCIUS, BUT TO HELL WITH YOU IF YOU THINK FOR _ONE SECOND_ I'M GOING TO LET YOU OFFER HER UP JUST SO IT CAN FIT INTO YOUR SCHEDULE!"

He swung on his heel and headed for the exit, grabbing Hermione by the arm as he did so. As they approached the door, Snape knew Albus had locked it but Snape was a powerful wizard and angry as hell. The door burst open in as they neared it and he walked right out, towing a wide-eyed Hermione, without breaking stride.

The Headmaster's office was silent for a few moments while all three occupants, and the portraits, stared at the open door in shock.

"Wow," Draco said quietly, breaking the silence.

"I know," Harry answered. "I don't think I've ever seen him go off like that, except for in my third year when he found out Sirius escaped."

"No, not that: he called Hermione his _girlfriend_. That's such a…un-Severus word!" Draco said, wide eyed. Harry looked at his boyfriend and they both started laughing.

The pair walked out of Dumbledore's office without a glance back, still chuckling, leaving a still shocked wizard seated behind a desk.

XXXX

Over three weeks passed and Hermione didn't receive anymore mail. It was now the beginning of February and the bitter cold wasn't letting up.

"You know, the media has really romanticized the idea of winter in an old castle," Draco said through his chattering teeth one morning as they walked through the dungeons towards the DADA classroom.

When Lupin had taken over the position, one of the first requests he made was to move the class to the bottom floor of the castle. He knew it was safer for the spells he would be teaching the older students and it kept other classes out of harm's way, seeing how the only other classroom in the dungeons was Potions and that was located on the other side of the castle.

"Yeah, you always picture horse drawn carriages and girls in pretty fur coats, laughing merrily away as children throw snowballs at one another," Hermione added, rolling her eyes as she cast another Warming Charm on herself. It barely stopped the shivering, but it was better than nothing.

"Don't forget when everyone walks around the castle, it's always toasty and they all look happy," Draco said. His gloved hand was cozy inside of Harry's, but the rest of him was shivering. "What's up, babe?" Hermione and Draco looked at Harry.

Harry had been quiet the last couple weeks and would never explain why.

"Just thinking," he said his usual response. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but about what? You've been unnaturally quiet lately. Seriously, what's going on?" Draco stopped and pulled his two friends into an alcove and cast a few charms to stop eavesdropping and mouth reading. "Spill it."

"It's kind of long…," Harry hedged.

"Give us the shortened version then, Harry," Draco said, not budging.

Sighing, Harry relented. "I've just been thinking about the prophecy. I feel like there's something I'm missing! But I have it written down, and don't worry Hermione, it's charmed so no one but I can read it. I've been pouring over it daily and nightly trying to trigger my memory or instincts or whatever but it's not working! But I _know_ there's something I'm missing. Something about it is…almost…I don't know. _Familiar_, I guess, to me. But I can't explain why! All I know is that I SHOULD understand it."

Draco furrowed his eyebrows. "Harry, Dumbledore went over it, and so did Severus. If there was something familiar about it, then they would have noticed, wouldn't they?"

"I know! But I can't shake the feeling. I don't know."

"Come on you guys, let's get to class. We can talk about this more later. Thank you, Harry, for putting so much effort into this, though," Hermione leaned over and gave her best friend a kiss on his cheek.

They got to class and were unsurprised to see all the desks vanished, leaving the whole of the floor open. Lupin's desk was even moved to the corner, which is where their instructor was now leaning against it. They were used to random days when Lupin would push the desks away for a practical lesson. On days before holidays, like right before Christmas, he had even had a duel-off, giving the top three winners extra credit as their "Christmas present."

"Hey, Professor Lupin," the three friends chanted and waved, then went to stand near Dean, Seamus, and Neville.

When all the students were in the classroom and stood around waiting, Lupin stood up and smiled at them.

"Defense," he started, walking towards the center of the room, "can be found in many ways. Here in Hogwarts, we teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, and as I'm sure you all remember, those lessons came in handy during the battle. However, there is much we leave out. Do not misunderstand me; the Dark Arts need to be fought. But I believe that this class should be about defense in all areas, and not just Dark Arts. But first, how do you defeat something that you don't understand? How do you prepare yourself for the worst case scenario when your eyes are closed to the possibility of other attacks? You will fight, and You. Will. Lose."

The whole class looked around uncertainly at one another.

"However, what if you knew other defenses? What if you were opened to a new line of possibilities? And what if your opponent is not? You will fight, and you may win. Neville!" The boy in question jumped slightly, and looked at Lupin wide eyed. "What are Dark Arts? In your own words, please.

Neville thought for a moment before answering. "Evil. They are used to torture or kill or to do wrong in the world."

"Five points to Gryffindor. However…what makes a spell considered Dark? Seamus?"

"Well, look at the outcome. I mean, what else could the killing curse be described as? Or _Crucio_?"

"Three points for you, Seamus, for a partial answer. You didn't explain yourself very well, but I understood what you were saying. However, take this into account: you mention the killing curse, yes? Well, what if I bind you, and then levitate you off a cliff. You would die, correct? But I would be using two very basic spells that are taught at this very school. What if you're hit with a stunner and fall down the stairs, break your neck, and die? A stunner isn't illegal. See what I'm getting at? Yes, Harry?"

"The intent," he said. "It's the reason behind it. If I was having a fun little practice duel with Seamus and hit him with a _rictumsepra_, and he laughs so hard he falls and hits his head on the stone and dies, then it was an accident. I never intended for him to get hurt. But if I'm in an argument with him and we start to duel and I corner him in front of a window and disarm him, sending him flying backwards a bit and he falls five stories and dies, then it should be considered Dark."

"Oi! Why do I keep dying?" Seamus said, and the class started laughing.

"Fifteen points, Harry! Excellent! Now, the Ministry does not see it that way. They have very specific spells that are considered Dark or not. But I believe that it's the _intent _that makes a spell Dark and I want you all to really understand what's going on. Intent is very important, I think. In the muggle world, in America, if you are charged for killing someone, your sentence depends on your intent. If you take Harry's first scenario where it was an accident, then it could be considered Manslaughter, because it's the killing of another person but you didn't mean to. Harry never _intended_ for Seamus to fall and die. But if it's the second scenario and he planned it, then the American muggles could charge with him with at least Murder one," He clapped his hands. "Now! What are some defenses? Yes, Dean?"

"Well, with the disarming spell, for one," Dean said.

"Ok, I'll give you a point for that, but try to think outside the box. Yes, Luna?"

"A bowtruckle's sharp claws."

"Excellent! Five points to Ravenclaw! Yes, many animals have defenses built in. What are some others? Jared?"

"Muggles have those exploding wand things…guns, I think," the Slytherin boy said. He was one of the few Slytherins to take Muggle Studies.

"Very good! Five points for Slytherin. Kaleb?"

"Does fist fighting count?" the muggleborn Hufflepuff asked. "Back in primary school, I got beat up a couple times and my older brother saw once and came over and kicked his arse."

"Yes! Five well deserved points to Hufflepuff! I was hoping we would get to this, because today our lesson is on hand-to-hand combat!" The class full of students murmured excitedly. "Hand-to-hand combat comes in different forms, from boxing to wrestling to martial arts. I don't have the time, or the skill, to teach you enough martial arts to make you all amazing at it. However, I have the time and the skill to teach you all basics on the straightforward techniques of most combat. This is a fairly large class, however, so I cannot do it alone. I want you all to welcome your assistant instructor for these few lessons, Professor Snape."

Hermione and her two friends rolled their eyes slightly at the dramatic entrance while the rest of the class jumped when the form of their Potion's Professor materialized in front of them, cutting off his invisibility spell.

"Yes, Professor Snape has kindly given up a free period of his day to assist me in teaching you all. In fact, he's more skilled at this than I am, so I suppose that I'll be assisting _him_. When you passed through that door, a charm washed over you, its purpose to keep you all from talking about this to the school. You will not be able to discuss this lesson or what goes on in this classroom with _anyone_ who is not in here right now. You are all the oldest students and I had to get clearance from the Headmaster to do this lesson. No one else is to know about this. You _will_ get bruised up during these lessons, but luckily we have a Potions Master as an instructor who has agreed to supply everyone with bruise salve. It _should_ go without saying, but you will _all_ be respectful to Professor Snape, especially since he doesn't have to be here. Professor?" Lupin waved him forward and inclined his head.

"Thank you, Professor Lupin. You will all need to remove your outer robes. In these bags," he said, and flicked his wand, making two huge duffel bags appear, "you will find a set of workout pants and a plain black t-shirt. You will all take one of each and go change into them. Be back here in no more than ten minutes. Go."

The students all scrambled forward trying to be the first to get the clothes and leave Snape's sight, except for Hermione, Draco, and Harry. They were calm and stayed where they were, all raising their wands and using silent summoning spells to get the correct size pants and shirt. Snape raised an amused eyebrow at them while Lupin winked and nodded to them to go out to the bathroom to change.

When all the students were back, they all stood around waiting for further instruction.

Harry had chosen a shirt size larger than he needed so he would have the ability to move and be comfortable as he worked out. The sleeves were semi-tight on his arms, but most of his shirts were after building up living on his own for last year. All of the pants were black with white stripes down the sides.

Draco was a little vainer, and purposefully got a tighter shirt to show off his body. He didn't have rippling muscles, but he had a flat stomach with the hint of abs muscles and he wanted people to look. He especially was fond of his arms and Hermione sometimes caught him making poses at himself in the reflection of the T.V.

Hermione was smart enough to summon her trainers from her dorm (which probably seemed strange to someone walking down the hallway) since she was wearing normal shoes that weren't very comfortable for working out, and also transfigured her bra into a sports bra. She had scooped her hair back into a ponytail and was excited to start.

Snape and Lupin waved their wands and stand up punching bags appeared all over the room, enough for everyone to have their own. In the center of the room, a large blue padded mat appeared.

"Mr. Potter, please join me on the mat," Snape said, smirking at Harry. Snape removed his robe and had on the same outfit as everyone else, except his pants had red stripes down them, marking him as instructor. Lupin removed his as well to reveal a matching outfit. A few girls giggled and batted their eyelashes in Snape's direction. Lupin looked good as well, but the Potion Master's body was a surprise for everyone in the room…other than Hermione. She glared at all the girls for staring at him, and when she glanced at Snape she caught his amused smirk he directed at her.

"_Expelliarmus_," Snape drawled lazily, and grabbed Harry's wand out of the air. "There will be no need for a wand during this lesson."

"You could have just asked, sir," Harry grumbled, upset at being caught off guard.

"It's more fun this way, Potter," was Snape's reply. "Now, how do you intend to get it back _without_ using wandless magic, as some of you do? That is what we will be learning." He dangled Harry's wand above his own head to taunt Harry a little more. "It should also be noted that all the pants the males are wearing are equipped with protection in the genital region, so you can all breathe a sigh of relief. In a real life altercation, I see no reason _not_ to go for the other man's genital region, if it comes to it. Your goal is your safety." The men around the room cringed.

"Well, Potter? Let's begin."

XXX

"Ugh, I need a shower," Hermione said as she walked down the hall with Draco. Luckily, they both had a free period before Muggle Studies, so she was looking forward to a soak in the bath. "What'd Harry need to talk to Remus about?"

"No idea. He just said he'd catch up with us later because he needed to ask a couple questions. He's been really weird lately," Draco answered, trying to be discreet as he sniffed his armpit.

"You know what it reminds me of? The months leading up to the battle. I'm not sure if you remember how he was, but he got kind of closed off and would spend a lot of time thinking about things. He was always trying to go over plans in his head," Hermione said as they reached their rooms. "I think it's all this waiting that has him on edge, not knowing when Lucius will strike."

"Oh, well, that's simple really. We just need to write my father and tell him to hurry up because Harry is getting antsy," Draco said dryly as he walked into his room.

"Prat," Hermione murmured, smiling at her friend's retreating back as she walked into her room.

XXX

The next morning at breakfast Hermione got another letter. When it landed in front of, she waved her hand over it casually, as if she was reaching for her goblet, when really she was scanning it wandlessly. She detected nothing harmful, so she grabbed it and stuffed it in her pocket and continued eating.

After about fifteen minutes, they all finished and casually made their way to the Headmaster's office like normal. When they arrived, Snape was just striding into the office with Dumbledore from a different door.

"What'd he say?" Harry asked before anyone could talk. He looked a little anxious and sallow as he watched her.

Hermione open the letter and began reading out loud:

_Hermione,_

_I find it funny that you think a _potion_ can save you from me. Keep attempting your little experiments, but honestly, you might as well give up. I think it's funny that the thought of me is keeping you awake at night. When I want you, I will have you._

_Tell Severus to back off, or there will be problems. You will regret ignoring me._

_L. M._

Hermione looked up with a puzzled expression and noticed almost everyone wore the same look. Harry swore loudly and hit his fist against the chair he was standing behind.

"What potion are you making, Hermione?" Dumbledore asked, looking from Snape to Hermione.

"She's not," Harry said, drawing all eyes to him. "I said that. I told his spy that. GOD DAMMIT!"

"Mr. Potter, what the hell are you talking about?" Snape snapped.

"You know who it is, Harry?" Draco asked, looking a little hurt and very confused.

"No, not specifically yet. But it's a bloody Gryffindor. FUCK!" Harry swore again and kicked the chair.

"Harry, you will control yourself and explain what you're talking about!" Dumbledore said firmly. Harry grabbed the back of the chair until his knuckles were white and took a few deep breaths.

"I planted a false trail. The last few weeks, I've been really bothered by the prophecy and about the letters. I still can't figure out my unease with the prophecy, but I decided I was going to try and find out the spy. I was going through plans and plans in my head and every time I came close to a good one to weasel them out, I would find a flaw. I could've really used Ron during those times," Harry said, and dragged his hand through his hair, a nervous gesture Hermione hadn't seen in a long time. Draco narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, but didn't say anything. Harry began to pace. "Then I had the Defense class with Remus and I finally knew what to do. So I stayed behind class and asked him about his charm he used on the room. He taught me how to do it once I explained I was going to use it to help Hermione. Then, once I got the hang of it, I went back to my dorm and modified it. And then I placed it on the entrance to the Gryffindor common room."

"How did you modify it?" Hermione asked, staring at Harry in shock.

"With Remus, it stopped everyone from discussing it with anyone outside the classroom. I'm assuming I'm only allowed to speak of that class now because the Headmaster doesn't apply to the rules of his charm. With mine, I made it so whatever I said in there couldn't leave the room. Literally. Everything I said to someone or was overheard saying could only be discussed with other Gryffindors _and_ by owls leaving the school. It wasn't like your spell in fifth year, Hermione, where it would give someone pimples. Mine will literally NOT let you speak about it. So, I planted a false trail and staged a pretty convincing conversation with Ginny. She thought I was really opening up to her. I didn't mention Lucius at all or the prophecy or anything. Instead, I said that I was just stressed because of you, and that you were having some issues. I made it sound like you were suffering from PTSD from the battle. I told her that you didn't feel safe most the time and that you had taken to modifying potions to save you from being abducted and that you were having nightmares. She ate it up." Harry stopped behind the chair again and hung his head as he gripped the back of the chair and leaned against it.

Silence consumed the office for a few moments.

"That was actually…very clever…Mr. Potter," Snape said slowly. "Am I correct in assuming that you think it might be…Miss Weasley?"

Harry's head snapped up and his eyes were pained for a moment before going hard again. "I sincerely hope not, Professor. There were other Gryffindors milling about, some not very far from us. I won't lie when I say that I want to keep hope that Ginny has nothing to do with this."

"You couldn't be bothered to tell us, could you? Even though I believe I've proven myself to be a good strategist. You said you could've used Ron, but you didn't even think about using me? Or Hermione and her enormous brain?" Draco snapped at him suddenly.

Harry turned his eyes onto his boyfriend; they were still hard as steel. "Calm down, Draco. I was playing this one close to the chest. I wasn't sure how it would go over with you both."

"You could've tried!"

"Look what happened when I tried explaining my unease with the prophecy! You completely wrote it off just because Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape hadn't found anything wrong with it!"

"Draco, this is just how Harry is sometimes. There are some things he just likes to do alone. It kind of goes back to the years when he didn't want to involve Ron or I because he didn't want us to have to shoulder anything," Hermione explained calmly to the blonde. He just huffed and looked away.

"Harry, what do you mean that the prophecy made you uneasy?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm not sure. I can't really explain it, but there's something about it that makes me feel like I'm missing something. Something crucial."

"We've gone over it many times, Harry," Dumbledore started calmly, and Draco widened his eyes and gestured with his hand at the Headmaster while looking at Harry as if to say "See?"

Harry took another deep breath. "I know, sir, but I still think we're missing something. I still think that we misinterpreted it. It's the last part that bothers me, I think: _Only when heart is no longer hers, will the power settle scores. The magic within must be embraced, unbeknownst will surely raze, for the magic both know not of, will once again reign above." _

"What troubles you about it?" Snape asked, his brows furrowed. Dumbledore was sitting back in his chair, thinking, with his hands in front of his mouth like he was praying.

"I don't know," Harry said in a defeated voice. "I only know that something IS bugging me about it. I know it's not like my prophecy was, but still…something seems off." Harry trailed off and looked like he had an idea, but then the light was gone from his eyes just as fast.

"I think," Dumbledore said, coming out of his reverie, "that we should pretend as if nothing is amiss. Let the spy think you are really trying to develop a potion. We will figure out what to do when we get more information. For the time being, restrict what you say around Gryffindors and, I'm sorry to say, around Miss Weasley." Harry nodded sadly at that. "Let's get back to our day. If anything new turns up, inform me immediately. Harry…I would like a word with you before you leave."

XXX

"What did Dumbledore want?" Draco asked as soon as Harry joined them on their trek to lunch. The whole morning he had avoided talking about his meeting with the Headmaster and it was hard for Draco to badger him in class.

"Nothing. He wanted me to explain more fully on my unease and then wanted to talk to me about what I did to the Gryffindor common room."

"Is he mad?" Hermione asked as they made their way through the halls.

"No, not so much, but he was concerned and told me I had to run my plans by him next time," Harry said and shrugged.

"Yeah, imagine someone wanting to know what's up," Draco muttered.

"Give it a rest, Draco," Harry said. When Draco ignored him, he grabbed him around his forearm and dragged him into an empty classroom. Hermione walked in, but seeing it was probably going to be personal, went to walk out again. Harry threw up wards before she could, though, so she opted to stare at the wall and pretend to blend into the stone.

"Listen to me, Draco, and listen well. I'm not going to run every little thing I do by you. I'm not sure how your past relationships went, but I'm different. I've been watched for far too long my life, and this time I'm going to do things _my_ way. I would've thought that you of all people could understand that. Now, I'm crazy about you. I love being with you, and I love how you make me feel when I'm with you. When I'm not with you, I can still feel your presence and it helps me sleep. I don't get nightmares anymore because of you. I don't wake up screaming Ron's name anymore and telling him to run. If I ever have nightmares, they're about you or Hermione now," Harry said vehemently, then hesitated slightly. "They're about the people I love the most."

Draco stopped attempting to pull his arm out of Harry's grasp and stared at him. Harry seemed to realize that Draco wasn't struggling and let him go and stepped back.

"I want this to work…forever. I never want you to leave me, and I damn sure never want to leave you. I _love you_, Draco, but I refuse to be mollycoddled and tracked. Hermione was right, earlier: I left you two out of it because that's how I'm used to operating. If something had gone down or wrong, I wanted you two as far away from it as possible. I know you can protect yourself, but I'm not going to test that by putting you in potential danger, Draco, I just won't-," Harry was cut off by Draco's lips on his.

When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard. Draco leaned his forehead against Harry's. "Stupid man. I love you too. We both have to work on our issues, I guess." Harry grinned and kissed him again.

After another ten minutes, Hermione threw a book at them and they all resumed their trek to lunch.

XXXXX

A/N: Thank you, thank you, so much to everyone who is reviewing. Don't be shy about reviewing after every chapter…you don't need to wait until the last one. *hint hint, nudge nudge*. These reviews help me, since I'm still writing this and it's my first one. Let me know what you like…or didn't lol. You are all awesome. Seriously.


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine. I'm not making a single knut.**

"MY MAP IS GONE!" Harry's patronus dissolved in Draco and Hermione's common room. Both occupants, who had frozen and stared when the stag emerged in their room, now looked at one another wide eyed. A few minutes later, their door opened and Harry burst in.

"What do you mean your map is gone?" Hermione asked. "Did you lose it?"

"I've never lost that map, Hermione. And I usually use a summoning spell on it. Now it's not working. It's gone."

"Well, if your spell wasn't enough, this just proves it was a Gryffindor. But how many people actually know about it?" Draco asked, sitting down on the couch. At that moment, their fireplace roared green and Dumbledore walked out of it. A few seconds later, Snape walked through their door.

"What happened, Potter? Are you sure you didn't lose it?" Snape asked, striding over to where Hermione leaned against the wall.

"I'm sure of it. And as I just told them, no summoning spell is working like it always does. Someone has it protected. And I was just about to tell Draco that only a handful of people know about that map." Harry said calmly.

"Yes, but Harry, how many people have SEEN you with it? Or heard about it through the grapevines? The last few years you never exactly tried to hide it. Even if only a couple people know how to use it, it doesn't mean that people don't know what it does," Hermione pointed out.

"Very true, Miss Granger," Dumbledore added, sitting down on Hermione's recliner chair.

"The only people alive who know how to work it are the people in this room, Remus, Fred, George, Neville, Luna, and Ginny."

"And almost everyone that was in the D.A. our fifth year, Harry. When you used to use it to get the students back to their dorms without being caught, you would use it," Hermione added.

Harry swore. "Yeah. But I can't see Neville or Seamus or Dean taking it."

"You can, however, see Miss Weasley doing it," Snape said when Harry hesitated. He glanced at him and then nodded wearily.

Dumbledore sighed. "Well, we must assume the worst case scenario that Lucius now had it, or his spy, and knows how to use it and is watching Hermione's every move."

"Great," Hermione grumbled and Snape nudged her and smirked.

"I wonder how long they've had it, and how long they've been watching," Snape said, trying to hide his smirk as Hermione blushed.

"Again, let us assume the worst and say they've had it for some time now. From now on, Miss Granger, you are to be super careful; more careful than you've been before. Now, Lucius has ways of seeing when you're completely alone. I will see you all at lunch," Dumbledore said and nodded to everyone before he went through the fireplace.

"Come on, let's get ready for Defense," Draco grumbled and Harry nodded. He looked at where Snape and Hermione were still standing and grabbed Harry and dragged him into his room.

"The Headmaster is right, you know," Snape said once they were alone.

"I know. I'm better this time than the times before. I know what's at stake. It doesn't mean I have to like it any more. But you don't have to worry about me sneaking off alone again," she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up.

"Good. That was a hassle trying to find you," he said and smirked, lowering his mouth to hers. He thought he would never tire of the feeling of her lips against his. Hers were full and supple, whereas kissing him must feel like kissing a fish.

When they broke apart, Hermione laid her head against his chest. "How did I get lucky enough to get you?" she asked quietly.

"You didn't; you were forced into it and made the best of a bad situation," Snape said, shrugging.

"Prat."

"I never claimed to be anything different," he replied, still smirking. He leaned down to kiss her again. "Come now, go get ready for class. I need to be there early to set up with Lupin." He disentangled himself from her. "You both can come out now!"

A few minutes passed and finally Draco's door was thrown open. Both men tried to look nonchalant, but both of their hair was mussed and in disarray.

"Nice shirt, Potter," Snape said, and nodded to both boys before he walked out of the room.

All three looked at Harry's shirt and started laughing: it was on inside out with the tag in front.

"Smooth, Harry, real smooth," Hermione laughed.

XXX

The three friends were walking to dinner later on that night when Harry saw her. The anger swelled inside him faster than an inflation spell, and after the last month he could not hold it back.

Draco and Hermione didn't see her; they only noticed something was amiss when Harry stopped walking and turned to the side. When they looked back, he was walking straight towards someone, and when they saw who, both pairs of eyes widened and they hastened to catch him.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he demanded as he reached the couple who had been talking quietly. His eyes were ignoring the first in favor of glaring at the fat toad-like woman.

"Temper, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. "I am a Ministry official, and as such, it is my job to see to the workings of this school."

"By taking random students to a dark alcove and whispering to them and using privacy spells? Seems awful shady to me, _Delores_. Normally, Ministry officials use the proper channels, via _Professor Dumbledore_, and talk to the student in question by having them in a secure classroom or office and with a chaperone," Harry spat at her, still ignoring the student she was talking to. "But, of course, you've always gone against the grain when it comes to acting accordingly, haven't you? _Veritaserum_, slapping, threats of Crucio, carving words into minor's hands…you were definitely creative."

Umbridge turned an ugly puce color. "Leave now, Mr. Potter. You're still in school, so I cannot touch you, but the moment you step foot off these grounds when you graduate, I will be on you. I won't rest until I find a charge to bring you in on."

"Is that a threat?" Draco asked, eyes narrowed into slits as he stepped forward.

Umbridge looked up at him and smiled. "Why, yes it is, _Mr. Malfoy_, and just try to catch me on it."

Draco rolled his eyes in disgust. "Come on, Harry."

But Harry was finally acknowledging the student Umbridge had been communicating with and had turned the full force of his glare on her.

"Why?"

"Why, what, Harry? I was talking to a ministry official. There's nothing wrong with that," Ginny said, taking a step back.

"How could you do this? Be a part of this? What happened to Ginny? To the Ginny I knew? I don't know you anymore. All I know and see is a skinny little spoiled red headed brat who throws fits when she doesn't get her way," Harry said quietly, unknowingly adopting Snape's angry way of speaking.

"Harry-," Ginny began, hurt and anger on her face, but Harry cut her off.

"Fuck off, Ginny."

He turned and grabbed Draco's hand, laying his other hand on the small of Hermione's back, and guided them all to dinner.

XXX

Back in the Head student's dorm after dinner, Harry was trying to calm himself down.

"What the hell is Umbridge doing here?" Harry asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Harry, you know she was here trying to dig up dirt on me," Hermione said without looking up from the essay she was working on.

"Yeah, but still…," he trailed off looking put out.

"We have bigger things to worry about rather than that toad," Draco said, sitting pensively next to Harry and staring into the fireplace, watching the flames dance. "You seem to be wound up tighter than usual. I haven't seen you this way since before the battle. Something is coming, isn't it?"

Harry was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure; this isn't exactly like last time. At least with Voldemort I was connected to him so I had a sort of sixth sense about him," he said quietly. "However, I think it's safe to say with our track record that it will happen somewhere close to the end of the school year."

"Why then?" Draco asked, looking confused.

"Simple: nothing good happens at the end of the school year. My first year, for instance, I almost got eaten by a three headed dog, strangled by a plant, crushed by giant chess pieces, impaled by flying keys, could've gotten poisoned if it wasn't for Hermione, and then I met up with a teacher who confessed to attempting to kill me while I was playing Quidditch and also had Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head. Woke up some time later in the infirmary with Dumbledore telling me I almost died," Harry said nonchalantly.

"You're a muggle shrink's worst nightmare, you are," Draco laughed.

"Second year you almost got killed by a basilisk and by a memory of a teenaged Voldemort, too," Hermione added, still looking at her paper.

"Third year I almost got bit by a werewolf, let a murderer run free, helped to knock out Severus Snape, and almost had my soul sucked out of me by hundreds of dementors. Luckily, I saved myself using some time travel rules I don't fully understand but I'm happy exist anyway," Harry said, smiling slightly.

"Fourth year I seem to remember you getting kidnapped in the middle of a maze, only to be transported back with a dead student and claims of dueling Voldemort who you had seen risen, correct?" Draco said with amusement in his eyes.

"Yep, and fifth year I decided to grab a group of my friends and head off to the ministry where we decided to attempt to duel a group of death eaters, which led to my godfather dying."

"And then the last two years have been marred by death eater attacks, deaths, and other mayhem," Draco finished.

"Basically, yes. So I'm fairly sure that Lucius will wait until the end of the year," Harry said.

"You don't think he'll guess that and try to surprise us before?" Hermione asked, finally looking up.

"No. Thinking about it, I think Harry's right. He thinks you're off kilter now, so you'd be expecting it. But if you make it all the way to the end of the year, then you'd be letting your guard down. But honestly, it's best if we don't put too much faith into just one option with him," Draco said gravely, going back to staring into the fire.

XXX

"I swear, this is the last one," the Headmaster said, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Sir! Honestly, I understand that you want to boost morale but ANOTHER BALL?"

"Draco, calm down; you sound close to squeaking," Hermione said, and looked into her bag for a piece of parchment to take notes on.

"I have it covered, don't worry," Draco said, pulling out a small silver rectangle from his pocket and enlarging it; it was Hermione's laptop. "And I don't squeak."

"Of course not, love," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

Draco booted up the laptop and got the word processing program up and going.

"Clever, Draco," Dumbledore said, eyeing the computer with interest. "Now, you can hardly be surprised by this; I mean it _is_ Valentine's Day soon. This will be only for fifth year students and up. The feast will be for all ages but when the dance begins, I'm thinking at around 9, all other students will be back in their dorms."

Draco was clacking away on the laptop, having gotten very fast at typing once he got the hang of it. "Dress code?"

"Ah yes, dress code. Well, I believe the rule of no brothel-like outfits sticks, but I am also not naive and I understand that the students will want to look attractive. I believe we can call it, erm, 'Tastefully Sexy,'" Dumbledore said, smiling. "I'm just taking advantage of the 14th falling on a Friday. I doubt I'll have this much luck organizing fun next year. And before you ask, YES, Draco, you must attend."

Draco grumbled behind his laptop and Dumbledore and Hermione chose to ignore him.

"No fat cupids again this year, right Headmaster?" Hermione asked, fighting a smile and losing.

"No no, I believe it will just be straight forward. The students have almost two weeks to get ready, and this Saturday is a Hogsmeade weekend," the Headmaster told her, and Draco typed it all down.

Sighing the sigh of someone long suffering, Draco returned the computer back to matchbook size and transferred it back to his pocket as he stood up. "While I can't say I look forward to it, I will definitely pass on the information." Both Head students nodded to Dumbledore and they left.

XXX

"So, will you wear red?"

"Absolutely not."

"Pink?"

"You're trying my patience, woman," Snape grumbled into her bare shoulder as they lay in bed.

"At least pin a tacky heart to your robes," she joked. He raised his head long enough to glare at her before dropping it back onto her.

"I will be presentable, and that is all. No more is asked of me, no more will be given," he grumbled.

"At least he promised no fat cupids this time," she commented.

"Small consolation."

"He said 'tastefully sexy' but I don't have even an idea what to wear."

"Hermione, for the love of Merlin or whatever deity you may look to, if you ever want to have a repeat performance of what just took place again, don't ever talk about Albus saying the word _sexy_. I don't want to think about Albus saying anything _close_ to sexy, especially not while I'm naked in bed with a woman!" He turned onto his back and dramatically threw one arm over his eyes. "Oh god, now I'm picturing him saying sexy while dancing in a strapless gown, and before you ask why I chose a strapless gown, I don't know. But I feel nauseous, and it's your bloody fault if I can never get hard again."

XXX

Valentine's Day had come and the three friends entered the Hall at breakfast time and groaned in unison. There were no fat cupids running around, true, but it appeared Dumbledore couldn't hold back his enthusiasm for decorating. Tiny confetti hearts were falling from the ceiling, stopping just short of the tables and disappearing so as not to get in anyone's food, the stones on the walls were tinted pink and white, and all the silverware was red.

"It could be worse," Harry mumbled, trying to stay optimistic. Draco just snorted and the friends continued to walk to the table.

"Oh look, my toast is in the shape of a heart. How cute," Draco said dryly before biting into it.

Soon, the owls started arriving carrying much more than usual. The normal mail was delivered and then all the valentines from friends and admirers.

Hermione heard a soft gasp from next to her. She looked at Draco, who was wide eyed, and then into his hand where he held a small ring box.

"Listen, I know it's terribly cliché and all to give you something like this on Valentine's Day, but I figured I might as well. It's nothing extravagant," Harry said, looking at the blonde. "This isn't an engagement ring or anything. Not yet." The last two words were said so soft, Hermione wondered if they were supposed to hear them. "This is just to show everyone that you're taken and they can damn well keep their hands off of you. This is to show that I want EVERYONE to know that you are with me."

Draco slowly lifted the lid and looked silently at the silver and gold band lying within. He took it out and placed it on his finger before turning to finally look at Harry. Harry's eyes had closed briefly in relief when Draco put the ring on; before, Hermione was able to see the nervousness in his eyes as he waited.

"I love it. I love _you_," Draco said, and leaned in for a quick but passionate kiss. Suddenly, their end of the table erupted in cheering, clapping, and cat-calls. The couple broke apart and looked around with reddened cheeks.

"That was beautiful, just beautiful!" Seamus laughed, clapping.

Dean whistled through his fingers, and Neville laughed as he joined in clapping. Soon, the whole table was clapping for them before going back to eating.

"Famous Potter, can't even get through breakfast without making a spectacle of yourself," Draco said, adopting the scorn from years past in his voice. Hermione and Harry just laughed.

"Hermione," Harry said, nodding at the falcon who had just swept in.

"A bit melodramatic, isn't he?" Hermione sneered, looking down at the pure black rose. The falcon had dropped it and continued flying back out a window. She touched her wand to it and incinerated it.

"Now who's dramatic?" Draco laughed.

"Hermione, there's you again I think," Harry said, nodding once more but this time to an owl heading towards her with a small parcel. Instead of dropping it on the table like other owls, this one landed and placed the parcel in front of her before taking flight again.

She poked it with her wand a few times, muttering incantations to reveal anything wrong, but nothing showed. Hesitantly, she reached out and pulled the parcel towards her and started to unwrap it.

Inside, there was a beautiful dark red rose preserved with charms so as not to get crushed inside the packaging. The rose was lying alongside a box with a piece of folded parchment on top.

Picking up the note, she smiled as she read it, finally laughing:

_Hermione,_

_Romance is not my forte and I cannot promise you that it ever will be. However, I do care for you and I wanted to give you something, even if it's small, because of what you've given me. You've given me happiness this year that I never thought I deserved._

_Happy Valentine's Day…although I don't understand why we really celebrate it. All the stories surrounding the legend of St. Valentine's Day are murky, but they all end with Saint Valentine dying. It never seemed very romantic to me._

_Of course, if you wanted to get traditional, we could celebrate the ancient Roman way and have a festival and sacrifice a goat (for fertility) and a dog (for purification). Then I could slice the goat hide into strips, dip them in sacrificial blood, and slap you and some crops with them. The ancient Roman women believed that being touched with the hides would make them more fertile…but maybe we shouldn't do that, now that I think of the problem extra fertility might cause us._

_Ah, well, if you don't feel like being traditional, then I hope my gift satisfies._

_Yours,_

_Severus._

"Well, he's right about not being romantic," Draco said as Harry and him finished reading the letter she handed them. "Go on, open the box!"

Carefully, she lifted the lid of the box and gazed down at the contents. Inside, nestled perfectly into six different places, were beautiful handmade chocolates.

"Talk about cliché. Hey, now you shouldn't feel so bad, Harry," Draco said, nudging his boyfriend. He went to pick a chocolate out of the box and pulled his hand back lightening fast when he was shocked. "What the hell!"

Hermione and Harry laughed. "Serves you right," Hermione said. "He must've made sure that no one else could have them. I wonder what kind they are."

"Look at the top inside the box," Harry said. "It looks like there's a table telling you."

Hermione inspected the inside lid of the box. There were lines drawn that separated it into six different squares. However, she was expecting them to read off like "dark chocolate", "milk chocolate with nuts", or "truffle." Instead, the first square said "The protectiveness I feel when I think of Lucius."

Intrigued, Hermione picked up the first chocolate and popped it into her mouth and closed her eyes at the taste. It was delicious and had the texture of a truffle, and bitter, almost like dark chocolate. As it melted in her mouth, she felt a surge of passionate protectiveness wash through her. In that instant, it was like she was connected to his feelings and she felt that if _anyone_ tried to harm her, they would meet an unfortunate end.

She opened her eyes slowly and looked at her friends who had been staring at her with amusement.

"Wow, you look like you just had the best orgasm ever. That must be some chocolate!" Draco said.

"What did it taste like?" Harry asked.

"Like…his emotions. I don't know how, but somehow he channeled his emotions into the chocolate. I just felt how he feels whenever he thinks of Lucius threatening me," she tried explaining, and felt her eyes tear up. "Sorry. It's just…it was beautiful, in a way. To _know_ that he feels like that, it's just…I don't know. Beautiful."

"Damn, I need to ask him how he makes those," Draco said.

"What do the other ones say?" Harry asked, smiling at his friend softly.

"'How I feel during our discussions', 'Happiness', 'The Holiday', 'The End of the Masque", and… 'My Birthday', she said, and then blushed. She could only imagine how that one felt just knowing what _she_ had felt that night. Draco seemed to know what she was thinking.

"Maybe you should wait to eat that one; although, it would make for an interesting class period," he said, smiling at her. She rolled her eyes as she returned the smile and picked up the one about their discussions.

This one was creamier, and not as bitter, but still delicious. She closed her eyes waiting and suddenly felt a few emotions wash through her: faint amusement, faint irritation, enormous amounts of intrigue, and they were all layered with a feeling of pride and respect.

When she finished that one, she smiled widely at her two friends who were still staring at her in amusement.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to save some. I don't want to have an emotion overload right now," she laughed. "But now I don't feel bad for having sent him something this morning, even if it completely pales in comparison to his. I sent him rose extract that Neville helped me with. He had grown them in the greenhouses as part of an extra credit project and had leftovers. Then he showed me how to properly strain them and get the extract. It's an incredibly useful potion ingredient. I sent it with a note and a house elf was supposed to have placed it on a place he would see. I thought he'd think it was funny, since most give roses."

XXX

"So did you owl order your dress again?" Harry asked Hermione later during their free period. Next was dinner, then they were going to get dressed for the dance.

"Yeah, it seemed easier. What are you wearing?"

"The same robes I wore for Christmas. I'm not about to buy ANOTHER set."

"Cheap bastard, you bought those in fourth year and Dobby fixed them this time," Draco said, laughing.

"Exactly, and how many times have I used them since I bought them? Twice, and both for Yule balls. No way am I wasting galleons on another set that I won't wear for another four years," Harry laughed.

Hermione was laughing with them as she pulled out her box of chocolates. She had already eaten the one for the Masque and for the holiday. They both had made her want to cry again because of how happy and sweet they were. Now all she had was simple 'Happiness' and his birthday. She popped the happy one in her mouth.

Suddenly, there was a huge smile on her face.

"That good?" Draco asked, winking.

"That good," Hermione answered. It was beautiful.

"Eat the birthday one," Harry said with a wicked grin.

"No way," she laughed.

"Come on, you have to do it sometime, so do it now!" Draco said, nudging the box towards her with his wand.

Hermione sighed and picked up the last chocolate. It was a dark brown, darker than any of the others had been. When she bit into it, the middle exploded in her mouth with the taste of strawberries, mixing with the chocolate. It was so good; Hermione couldn't help but moan and close her eyes.

By the end of her emotional journey with that chocolate, her eyes were dilated with desire. In the back of her mind, she thought something had been off with that one, though. She felt the lust and the other emotions perfectly, but there was an overlapping emotion that was on top of them all that she couldn't place, but she also couldn't feel very strongly. It was as if she knew what it was and could feel it, but it wasn't making an impact on her.

"Wow," she heard Draco whisper. She opened her eyes and looked at her two friends who had been staring at her the entire time.

"I'm completely jealous," Harry said, nodding.

"I'm completely horny" Draco added. That broke the tension in the room and all three of them laughed.

XXX

"Come on, Hermione! It can't take you THAT long to get ready!" Draco yelled through the door.

"Just because you two have a house elf to help you reuse your robes doesn't mean I do the same!" she yelled back. She looked at where Winky was sitting on her bed and winked.

"Winky is going to finish your hair, and then Miss will be done," Winky said. She looked at Hermione critically, cocking her head to the side, before snapping her fingers. Hermione looked in the mirror and smiled.

She had ordered a very simple red satin dress, but it was more beautiful because of the simplicity. It tied up in the back like a corset with the ribbons being white. The bottom of the dress ended in a diagonal cut, with the longest part ending right above her right ankle, and the shortest ending right below her left knee. Winky had turned the shoes Snape gave her red and satin to match, and then made her hair hang over one shoulder in a twisty sort of way.

"Miss is beautiful," Winky said. Hermione thanked her for her help once more and then the elf apparated back to the kitchens.

"Ok, I'm ready," she said, and opened the door.

XXX

"Miss Granger, you look beautiful."

"Thank you Headmaster. You look quite smashing yourself," Hermione replied, sipping her cider and watching the students dance.

Dumbledore gave a small bow to show his thanks. "I believe there will be only a few more songs and then we will call it a night. Please let Draco know, and the Prefects, so we can help herd all students back to their dorms."

Hermione frowned slightly and checked her dainty watch on the wrist opposite of the bracelet Snape gave her. It was barely 11:30pm; she had expected the party to last until at least 1am.

"Sir, is everything alright?" she asked quietly.

Dumbledore waved his hand airily, as if lazily swatting a fly, but Hermione felt the strong wards go up around them.

"I'm not sure, Miss Granger. I have a strange feeling that not all is well tonight in this room or on these grounds. I have no proof, but very rarely are my feelings wrong. I do not wish to cause a panic, however, so I am ending the ball after a few more songs rather than right away," he explained, all the while keeping his sharp eyes on the crowd.

"Yes, sir. I will go talk to Draco now. Have you told Severus?"

"Yes, I just finished discussing it with him. It seems that he had the same feeling. Inform Harry as well," Dumbledore said before waving his hand again and striding off.

Hermione scanned the room quickly and her eyes landed on the platinum blonde head of Draco in no time. She made her way over to him where he was, unsurprisingly, with Harry. They were talking to Seamus and Dean.

"Excuse me, I need to borrow my friends real quick," Hermione said, cutting in. Seamus and Dean just nodded and started talking with each other.

"What's up?" Harry asked. Draco raised his eyebrows when she cast the privacy spell Snape had used over the holiday. Hermione quickly filled them in on what Dumbledore had said, and Draco was already adjusting his galleon to let the Prefects know.

"I'm going to go find Severus," Hermione said and broke the spell. Harry and Draco nodded and started walking towards a few Prefects. Hermione scanned the room looking for Snape and sighed in relief when she saw him. Almost as if he could feel her stare, he turned to look at her.

Their eyes met from across the room and she took a step towards him.

That was when the screaming started.

Suddenly, Hermione knew only pain, and tried to find Severus' eyes once more and failed, before everything went black.

XXXXXXXXX

A/N: Wow, so, I'm super sorry it took so long. I don't have internet at home, so I write most of the chapters at home or work and then wait for my days off when I can head to the library to post them. This chapter took me a bit longer because I wanted to speed the story up but I didn't want to rush at the same time.

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback. You can note that I started putting X's between pauses; apparently when I would make a line or star or any other marking of some sort it wouldn't show. So I tried X's and they stuck. The next chapter should be coming soon. I wanted to try to update with at least 2 chapters each time but I feel like I let ya'll wait long enough so here's one…although, with the way it ended you probably will yell at me to post the next lol. Remember, you don't have to wait until the last chapter you read to review. I thrive on reviews. I already have ideas on a second story, but I crave reviews to help me on my way since I'm so new at this lol. I'll give you a cookie.


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I do not own the rights to these characters; I just play with them. I'm no Jo.**

Hermione groaned quietly and struggled to open her eyes. She felt like someone was pressing her eyelids shut and had to struggle to move them.

"Hermione?" a voice asked quietly that could only belong to Harry.

In response, Hermione groaned quietly again and tried to turn her head towards the sound of her best friend. Her back was killing her and she had the mother of all headaches.

"Hermione, I'm right here," he said, and she felt him grab her hand.

Slowly, so slowly, Hermione pried her eyelids open. The light hit her like the force of a truck and she quickly squeezed them shut again.

"Is she waking?" came the voice of Madam Pomfrey. "You should have called for me straight away! Her eyes are completely dilated; the light is probably killing her. Here you are, Miss Granger."

Hermione felt a pair of arms helping her into a sitting position while the mediwitch handed her a potion. She tipped it into her mouth and swallowed, feeling the heaviness in her head diminish considerably. She attempted once more to open her eyes.

After blinking a few times, her eyes focused on the worried, pale, and tired face of her best friend.

"Oh god, Hermione," he sighed, and leaned forward to gingerly hug her. Her arms slowly came up around him as she forced her mind to force her limbs to move. His embrace tightened on her and she felt him slightly shudder. She was happy that he was hugging her upper body since her lower back hurt like hell.

"What-," she cleared her throat, "what happened?" Harry slowly let her go, and moved to fluff the pillows behind her so she could sit up.

"What's the last thing you remember, Miss Granger?" She looked up to see Dumbledore standing at the end of her bed.

Hermione strained as she thought, trying in vain to dig up a memory. "I remember talking to Draco and Harry and relaying the message you gave me." Dumbledore nodded. "Then I remember saying I was going to find Severus, and Draco and Harry went off to get the Prefects. I saw Severus and then…nothing. I remember pain though; lots of pain. And screaming, I think. What happened?"

Dumbledore sat on her bed and stared at his hands for a few moments. "It seems," he started, "that…someone…decided to make a…scene…at the ball. We don't know for sure if it's Lucius' spy or-," he was cut off by Harry.

"Who else could it have been?"

"We told you, Harry, that we would like some more concrete proof," Dumbledore said tiredly.

"Please continue, Headmaster," Hermione said, cutting Harry off as she saw his mouth open to retort.

"As I was saying, it seems likely that it _could_ be linked to Lucius, seeing how you were the one hurt," Dumbledore continued. "The screaming you say you heard were students experiencing a shock from the person who orchestrated this. It seems he or she used a spell to go into their minds. It is another reason why we believe it points to a person working for Lucius. Severus knows the spell well, as it is one that Voldemort used to use. When cast, the caster can make it feel as if they're raking nails across your brain, and it can be cast on several people at once. Severus says that long-time exposure to it can make one go mad."

"Where is Severus?" Hermione asked, after she digested the information.

"Here, Hermione. I'm right here," she heard him say, and saw Snape step out from behind the curtain.

"What were you doing over there?"

Snape looked uncomfortable for a few seconds before Draco stepped around him.

"He thought you wouldn't want to see him, the big git," Draco said, and came over to hug her tentatively. When he pulled back, his eyes had a haunted look she couldn't place; she was fine, so he should be looking happier. "I'm glad you're ok."

"How long was I out for? A few hours?"

Dumbledore's face softened. "My dear, you have been laying here since the ball…which was five days ago." Hermione's eyes shot wide open. "We've been giving you potions to provide you the nutrition you needed; Severus has been working non-stop."

Hermione laid her head back to think about what he said and felt everyone stir after a few minutes.

"Maybe we should come back in a little while; there is still much to discuss," she heard Dumbledore say and she nodded wearily. Harry and Draco both gave her a hug and then she felt them leave. When she opened her eyes again, only Snape remained.

"Why would you think I wouldn't want you here?"

Snape walked slowly towards her bed and sat down in the chair Harry had been occupying.

"I…thought you would be upset…when you learned that I was unable to save you," he finally got out. "You say you remember making eye contact with me, but I don't remember seeing anyone behind you. I just remember you falling." Snape wasn't looking at her, but rather, looking down at his hands.

Slowly, still trying to get her body to react how she wanted it to, she took one of his hands.

"You can't see everything, Severus-," she started, but stopped when he jumped up.

"Yes I can! I'm supposed to! That's my job! I survived for over twenty years because I was able to see the whole picture! I'm supposed to _protect_ you! And instead…_I watched it happen!_" he hissed out the last part. "You looked straight at me, took a step, and then _fell_. Your eyes got wide a fraction of a second before you fell, and your mouth opened in surprise. Then…you were writhing on the floor…," he broke off.

"What happened to me? Dumbledore didn't explain."

Snape sat down by her bed again and sighed. "It's another arrow pointing to Lucius: the spell used on you is one I remember distinctly. And one that Draco has first-hand experience with." He stared hard at her, looking like he wished he could avoid eye contact but was forcing himself to look.

"What did it do?" Hermione's brain was in a whirlwind; Draco had never gone into depth about his home life with Lucius, so she wasn't sure what curse Severus was talking about.

"The best thing is that we were able to stop the curse before it did…extensive damage. You fell and cracked your head on the floor, which caused you to pass out," Snape continued as if he hadn't heard her. "Albus, Harry, Draco, and I all set off loud shots from our wands to get everyone's attention, and it seemed to have distracted the person doing the casting."

"What was the curse?" Hermione asked again.

"I got to you in less than a minute, although I tried getting there faster. I grabbed you and disillusioned us before running for the Infirmary. Albus, Harry, and Draco stayed to help the Prefects corral the students back to their Houses-"

"Severus! Please," she said, cutting him off and looked into his eyes, pleading, "what happened? What did it do?"

Snape stared at her for a few seconds before sighing and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and grabbing one of her hands. "Draco told me that he has told you some stories of his past." At her nod, he continued hesitantly. "The evidence of one such story left a…scar…on his arm…," he trailed off as Hermione's eyes got wide and her breathing hitched.

"Where?" she whispered. "How bad?" Now Draco's look as he hugged her gingerly made more sense.

Snape closed his eyes briefly. "It's on your back; mainly, the lower half of it. The…scar…stretches almost from one side to the other." His voice cracked, and he tried to clear it as Hermione let out a sob and lifted the hand he still held up to her mouth. "It's height in the center, where we think the curse initially hit, is the highest at around three inches. After that, goes from two inches and downward, ending with the edges being only a half inch high. It's healing right now, still, so it's very red. Eventually, it will fade to the color of Draco's. I know this curse well and there is no cure for it. I'm so sorry, Hermione."

Hermione started crying silently, shaking with sobs she tried to suppress. If anyone else had been in the hospital wing at the time, what Severus Snape did next would have given them a heart attack: Snape moved his chair back and got to his knees. He was at a better height level with her now and he leaned over to hug her to him the best he could without moving her too much.

At once, Hermione's arms came around him and she started to cry in earnest.

XXX

"We've checked every wand in the castle with _priori incantatum_; no wand has yielded the spell used at the ball," Harry said in a defeated voice the next day after dinner.

Harry, Draco, Dumbledore, Snape, and Hermione were all in an isolated containment room in the hospital wing. Poppy had refused to let her patient leave and told Dumbledore that if he had pressing matters then they could discuss them here. The room had been given amazing wards and now the group all sat around Hermione's bed.

"Just the years that were at the ball?" Hermione asked.

"No. We decided that it was perfectly plausible that the person could have either snuck into the ball or had stolen an underage student's wand," Draco said. "How's your back?"

Hermione tried not to stiffen; after all, Draco knew about her pain more than anyone. "It hurts, but not as much as yesterday. It's more of a dull throb. Madam Pomfrey still won't let me look at it. I can't wait until I'm allowed to take a shower again. Honestly, these cleansing charms aren't doing much."

"Poppy said that you should be able to leave tomorrow, or Saturday at the latest," Severus told her. He was seated in a chair next to the head of her hospital bed.

Poppy was as good as her word and discharged Hermione right before lunch the next day. Her back felt much better but she noticed it throbbed a bit when she tried to quicken her pace, so she had to settle for a slower one. Because she had to walk slower than usual, the school was already seated at lunch when she arrived.

Opening the doors, a hush fell over the student body and she tried not to notice several heads that were craning to see her. She did, however, see Harry and Draco walking briskly toward her from the senior table with broad smiles on. Upon reaching her, they both offered an arm for her and she linked her arms with theirs happily.

Together, they marched back up to the table, ignoring the students watching. When both boys put a hand on her chair to pull it out for her, she laughed and sat down.

For the rest of lunch, she was happy. She forgot about the madman after her; she forgot that one of the students in that very room was helping said madman; she even forgot, briefly, about her back.

She was with her friends in her true home; life could be worse.

XXX

"But what I don't understand is how does magic exist?" Hermione asked Snape. They were in the middle of one of her "potions lessons" which had turned into less of a class of lectures and essays and more of just practical applications and discussions. Today, they were discussing the subject of magic while they brewed various potions.

"That's a very broad question, Hermione," Snape answered, peering into his cauldron which held his experiment on altering the Wolfsbane Potion. "What about magic, exactly, do you not understand?"

"Well, the first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed. The total sum of energy and matter in the universe remains unvarying, simply changing from one form to another. So, how do we, as witches and wizards, simply use magic, which is concentrated energy, to create more? How do we create the magic in the first place?"

"Ah, but wasn't that law proved wrong in theory by the muggle Einstein? The atomic bomb put it into practice. Now, the muggles know that matter can be created from energy, and energy can be created from matter," Snape answered, still stirring.

"Well, yes, but that's what I said, isn't it? If it's being created _from_ matter, then isn't that just changing forms?"

"Hermione, I don't have all the answers. Some things we just aren't _meant_ to know. Why are some wizards more powerful than others? Look at you and your friends. You, Harry, and Mr. Weasley all started together and took the same classes. Compare grades and actual knowledge. Other than your study habits, why did you excel? You were more powerful," Snape shrugged. "Harry came into his power later on in his years here, and to be completely honest, I've always believed that Voldemort transferred some of his powers to Harry the night he tried to murder him, thus giving Harry the ability to talk with snakes and giving him the raw power that he shows. If it were truly his power it would be easier to control, but you and I have both seen how hard it is for him to rein in his raw energy when his emotions are up. And Mr. Weasley was just bad in school," Snape finished, frowning at his cauldron as he tried to figure out why it was green instead of the yellow he thought it would be.

"That's not entirely fair, really. I mean, think about it: you learn your basics the first two years you're at Hogwarts. To learn any other spells, you need to know your basics so you can build from them. Ron was doomed from the beginning because he didn't have a wand of his own. He was forced to use Charlie's old wand, which not only wasn't Ron's but it was chipped and had unicorn hair sticking out. He was finally able to get his very own wand in his third year, but by then he had already learned with a faulty wand," Hermione said, trying to defend her late friend as she stirred the fever reducing potion she was making for the hospital wing.

"That may be so, but he should have been able to run with the basics he _should_ have had in his head from the first two years and channel it into his new wand, but he did not. In fact, his third year grades should have excelled from what they were previously because he now had a proper wand."

Hermione sighed. "I suppose."

"You can't have all the answers, Hermione," Snape said, laughing. "Like I said, some things we just weren't meant to know. You're already miles ahead of other people your age anyway. Maybe all that time turning added maturity." He smirked when she glared at him.

"After third year I was thinking that I should be older than I was because of the time turner. I kept thinking I would have to calculate when my new birthday was and stuff," she laughed. "Then I realized that getting petrified in my second year counter-acted that. I was petrified for weeks, frozen in that stage. And with my hour or two here and there with my time turner, I think I balanced it back out."

"Time is also another subject that we, as mortals, will never truly understand. For instance, just because you were petrified, does that mean you would have stayed that way for thirty years? We don't know. Now, are you finished with that potion?"

XXX

Hermione received an owl from Lucius two days after getting out from the hospital wing:

_Hermione,_

_How's your back?_

_-Lucius_

"Arrogant bastard," Hermione mumbled and stowed it in her cloak. It was Sunday and she fully expected to take advantage of that fact. Thanks to her study habits, there wasn't much catching up she had to do from being in the hospital wing for the time she was, and she was content to just lie about and relax.

After lunch, the three friends went for a walk on the grounds. The ground was covered in a blanket of snow from the storms they had been having recently.

"Now _this_ looks like the stereotypical winter at a castle," Hermione told Draco and Harry as they walked outside. Students were clustered around making snow figures and having snowball fights. Of course, going to a wizarding school, no one made a snowman by hand; there were snow hippogriffs, dragons, centaurs, and unicorns.

"Hermione! Draco! Harry!" The three friends turned to see Remus walking towards them, waving.

"Hey Remus! How are you?" Hermione asked.

"I should be asking you that, Hermione. Dumbledore told me about it. I'm so sorry Hermione. We'll get him," he told her.

The four friends continued walking around the grounds, talking about anything and nothing all at once.

"Hey Hermione, I was wondering…you know that picture you have in your room? Of you, Ron, and I? Do you think you could make me a copy?" Harry asked, looking at his shoes as he walked.

Hermione had finally decided to take her picture out of her trunk that she had hid while she was still home. It now had a place of pride on her dresser.

"Of course, Harry!" No sooner had the words left her mouth than she was caught up in a hug.

"Speaking of pictures, I actually have a few I found and wanted to show you! Some are one I've taken, but most were ones I've acquired from other people, since I only taught here one year, not counting this one." Remus told them. Hermione transfigured a couple rocks near the lake into stone seats and benches that all faced each other in a triangle.

"Here's one of you, Ron, and Hermione in your third year when I first met you," Remus began, and started to pass pictures to his right where Harry and Draco sat. When the picture got to her, Hermione laughed out loud.

"Good lord, look at my hair! And my teeth!" Her friends laughed at her.

"Here's one of Harry catching the snitch his third year when Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup," he continued, and everyone ignored Draco who pretended to gag. "Here's one of Harry in his Twiwizard Champion robes, and here's one of all the champions. Here's one of you and Sirius, Harry."

Harry blinked down at the picture, a small smile touching his face. "Sirius looks like such a prat in this one," he said, making everyone laugh. Hermione was happy to note that when he passed the picture on and waited for the next, the smile on his face didn't look forced and she could see it reflected in his eyes.

"Ah, here's Draco here during his second year with the rest of his House team!" Remus said, and when he passed it over, Harry laughed out loud while Draco grimaced.

"Look at _his_ hair!"

"Ok, give me that! It doesn't look _that_ b-…oh. Well, yes, I guess it _does_ look that bad. Why did I think slick back hair was cool?" Draco said, laughing as he passed it to Hermione.

"Here's one of Dumbledore's Army. Luna actually gave me a copy of this one. I had no idea a picture of you all existed, but I'm glad you took one," Remus said, smiling down at the large group of students, some of which who were no longer alive.

"Yeah, it was risky to take one, but it was Neville's idea. We had that picture of the old Order that I had copied from the one Mad Eye had tacked up for motivation and Neville said we should take one as well so if anything happened to us…we could be remembered for what we did," Harry said as he accepted the picture. "Hermione, do you remember trying to teach Ron the patronus charm? Or better yet, do _you_ remember trying to learn it?" Harry started laughing as Hermione scowled.

"I don't get it," Draco said, his bemusement reflected on Remus' face.

"It's the only spell I've ever seen Hermione have an issue with," Harry explained. "But when she finally got it, she had the cutest little otter." He kept laughing.

"I think I remember seeing it a few times during training," Remus said. "It is an awful cute otter."

"I want to see!" Draco said; he hated being left out of anything. He felt he had years worth of inside jokes and knowledge to catch up on with his new friends. "I mean, mine is a lion so it can't be worse than that."

"Hey!" Harry said, a fake look of hurt touching his face. "I happen to think it's an awesome lion and it looks a lot like me, actually. I mean…oh," he trailed off as Draco's cheeks reddened.

"Yes, well, I did explain to you earlier this year that I have liked you for some time, and I never had much reason to learn the patronus charm until my sixth year after I left the death eaters, so I'm sure you were a driving force behind my animal," Draco said, clearly uncomfortable. He wasn't quite used to Remus yet, but their professor was carefully looking down at his photographs with a tender expression.

"You're amazing, you know that, right?" Harry asked. "You always know just what to say." He pulled Draco in for a quick kiss. "Ok, so, next picture!"

"Wait! I still want to see the otter!" Draco said huffily.

Hermione sighed. "Fine! _Expecto Patronum!_" Four pairs of eyes widened when her patronus shape emerged.

Draco was the first to talk, unsurprisingly. "Now, I may be wrong, but I thought otter's were smaller. I may not be an expert at patronuses like Remus over here, but that looks very close to a panther. It looks very close the panther that Severus changes into, actually."

Remus coughed. "Well, you have been under a great deal of stress this year and Severus has stepped in to protect you. It's natural that your mind feels strongly for him as a protector, which is in essence what a patronus is. You should get your otter back in no time."

Hermione just blinked a few times and watched as her panther stalked up to her and stared at her with eyes that looked intelligent even for a patronus. Finally, the animal vanished.

The group was silent for a few heartbeats. "Alright, what's the next picture?" Draco asked, breaking the tension.

"This one is one of the few we have of Harry, Hermione, Ron, _and _you, Draco. It was taken while you were all training. Here's one of Draco and Ron playing chess and not sneering at each other when you both thought no one was looking. Here's one of the whole Weasley clan a few weeks before the final battle. Ah, here we go, Harry. Here's one of your dad." He handed the picture over.

"Wow, how old was he here?" Harry asked.

"Actually, he should be about your age, really. This was taken probably almost a year after they were married. They married quite young, right out of school, when they were 17. Your mom had you when she was about 19. So I'm guessing he's around your age."

"Wow, Harry, you look a lot like your dad," Draco said.

"So I've heard."

"I do too, but I'd rather not," Draco joked.

"Here's one of the 'Marauders'," Remus laughed and handed over the picture, thumb on the face of Wormtail. "I think we were at the end of our sixth year here. Here's one you've seen often, Harry. It's your parents at their wedding, and here's another at their wedding with Sirius, then another, but with me. Here's one of Lily at school, her fifth year. I don't think anyone has ever seen this picture other than me."

"Is that…Professor Snape?" Harry asked. And it was. Snape and Lily were sitting at a library table across from each other. In the picture, Lily and Snape would silently converse, with Lily gesturing towards a book and then they would look down, only for Snape to peek a look up again with a small smile on his face. "This must have been before the O.W.L.s."

"Why do you say that?" Draco asked and passed the picture to Hermione.

When Hermione looked down and watched it play out, her heart clenched painfully. She couldn't understand why, but she figured it was because she knew that by the end of that year, they weren't friends any more.

"My mum got into an argument with Professor Snape after one of the tests," Harry explained evasively while Remus looked much too interested in shuffling his pictures that had made it back around to him. "And honestly, she was a bitch about it for the rest of her life."

"Harry!" Remus said, pictures forgotten. "Have some respect!"

"I have respect, Remus, but I also have honesty and I honestly believe that she overreacted," Harry replied fairly calmly.

"I'm confused," Draco said.

"It's nothing," Remus said quickly, but Harry cut him off.

"My dad was an asshole to Severus. I'm not saying Professor Snape didn't deserve it every time, but I know from what I've heard, _and seen_, that my dad was a bully to him and initiated a lot. This time, it was after the DADA O.W.L and all the students were outside enjoying the end of the test. Sirius said he was bored and because of that, my dad decided to mess with Severus. It was kind of a reverse relationship that you and I had back in school, with you in my dad's shoes," Harry explained and Draco nodded slightly, trying not to look too abashed for Harry's casual reference to how he used to act. "Anyway, they saw Severus sitting under that tree over there, actually, and my dad started trying to hex him, so of course Severus tried to cast back."

"Naturally," Draco said, nodding.

"Well, then my dad used a spell that Severus actually created to hoist him up and showed his underwear to the gathering crowd."

"What? What an asshole!" Draco exclaimed. Then he paused. "Sorry."

"No, it was an asshole thing to do," Harry told him, patting his hand.

"So what did your mom do?" Hermione asked, eyes narrowed. Draco gave her a swift look before looking back at Harry.

"My mom walked over and told my dad to leave him alone and put him down. When he did, dropping Severus on his head in the process, he told him that he was lucky Lily was there to save his ass. Then…Severus said he didn't need help from a mudblood," Harry said. Draco's eyes got wide while Hermione and Remus just sat there. "My mom got upset, naturally, and walked away. It turns out that later Snape tried apologizing to her multiple times."

"Eventually she forgave him, Harry!" Remus said, sounding upset.

"Yes, but after how long? What would be different now if she would've just gotten over herself sooner? That was in their FIFTH year, Remus! She didn't forgive him until AFTER SHE WAS MARRIED. He saw me as a baby twice, and then she DIED. She was his ONLY FRIEND," Harry shot back.

"How do you know all this, Harry?" Remus asked.

"I asked him. It was a few days before the battle. Draco and Severus had already told us the date and it was a waiting game. One night, I was in the training room having a couple muggle beers I had smothered in. Severus came in during his rounds and saw me. I don't know what made me ask, but I asked him if he wanted a beer. Then we got to talking. He told me about my mom, probably thinking that one or both of us would die."

"And he continued to _love_ her? Even after all of that? After her not forgiving him for _one_ thing he said?" Hermione asked incredulously. She had no idea; she had only heard the story up to Severus calling her a mudblood.

"Hermione, calm down and stop overreacting," Remus snapped uncharacteristically.

"No! That's horrible! How can you defend her like that?"

"I can defend her because I knew her! She was a good person!"

"And good people don't make mistakes?" she shot back at him. Harry and Draco watched the scene unfold with wide eyes, not sure if they should step in. These two never fought.

"Of course people make mistakes!"

"Well you're acting like the sun shone out of her fucking ass!" Hermione snapped at him.

Remus' eyes widened until they almost hurt. "She was hurt! What would you have done?"

"I would've forgiven him! Oh wait, I _have_ done that! Or have you not noticed that Draco and I are best friends now? And he said it a lot more than just once! Or Ron! Ron called me so many things and I stayed his friend! She was just stubborn!"

"Everything she did was with the best intentions!"

"You think that makes it ok?" Hermione gave a derisive laugh. "Some of the worst things have been done with the best intentions! Have you ever heard of Adolf Hitler? He thought what he was doing was right and did it with the BEST INTENTIONS!"

"Sit _down_, Hermione," he said, glaring at her as she stood up incensed. "You're just getting upset because you're his new girl so you automatically hate the old one!"

"How dare you! I'm _upset_ because, while I may be his _'girl'_, I'm also his _friend_," she told him.

Remus was now standing in front of her, clearly pissed off.

"How dare _you_ talk about someone you don't even know!" he yelled back at her.

"I dare when I find out that one stupid word might be the reason behind Severus' fucked up life! I dare when I hear about the pain the man I love went through because one female couldn't come down off her high horse!"

In a split second there was a wand pointed at her face. She didn't mind, however, since she had seen him going for his and had hers leveled at his chest in the same instant.

"Put those down!" Harry yelled. "Remus! You just pulled your wand on Hermione!"

"Hermione! Lower your wand! Come on now!" Draco said to his friend.

"Don't think for one second, Remus John Lupin, that I would hesitate to hex you," Hermione said in a low voice, ignoring her friends.

"Nor would I."

"Shit," Harry mumbled. Draco looked at his godfather who had just materialized.

"Lower your wand, Hermione," Snape said, his own pointed at Lupin. "Now."

She hesitated for a second longer before stowing her wand back up her sleeve.

"Now lower yours, Lupin," Snape ordered, but Remus had shifted his wand to Snape now.

"I'm sorry, Severus, but she pissed me off. I lost my temper," Remus started trying to explain.

"So you felt that was just cause to pull a wand on a student?"

"Don't act so mighty, Snape! You tried to choke Harry earlier this year!"

"After he already hurt Hermione. You're lucky you didn't fire a spell or you would be laid out right now."

"You don't even know what we were arguing about…-," Remus began again but was cut off by Snape.

"And that matters? As a matter of fact, I do know. You were discussing Lily. I've been standing here for a little bit, Lupin, just disillusioned. Harry must have been too concerned with what was happening to notice. I felt Hermione get agitated through the ring I gave her and the feeling flared quickly. Seeing how she just barely left the Hospital Wing the other day, I felt the urge to check on her. I got here in time to hear the end of Harry's lovely story."

"Hermione wasn't even yelling at that point," Remus pointed out.

"It doesn't matter. Perhaps the story was upsetting her. All I know is that my ring alerted me. Lower your wand…now," Snape said, glaring at Remus. "You forget, Lupin, that she _was_ my friend too, so I understand you wanting to defend her, but I can't allow you to pull a wand on Hermione."

Slowly, the crazed light seemed to leave Remus' eyes and he dropped his wand as if it burned him.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry Severus. I don't know what came over me."

"Get out of here, Lupin, and take those pictures with you," Snape answered.

"But-," he started.

"Leave. Now."

Remus bent to retrieve his wand, grabbed his pictures and walked away.

"Severus," Hermione started but he glared at her before he stalked off too. She walked as fast as she could after him trying to get him to talk to her.

"I wonder if anyone noticed that she said she loves him," Draco murmured to Harry. His boyfriend just shrugged and grabbed his hand before setting off at a much more leisurely pace up to the castle.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Sorry everyone! It's been crazy with work and school trying to find time for this. Everything is heating up now…not too much longer, actually. As Hagrid would say, what's coming will come and they'll have to meet it when it does.

One comment I got made me want to squeal in excitement because it made me feel like I was doing my job correctly. So, Darque Hart, thank you. They said that I did a good job keeping the guilty party/parties a secret and basically confusing everyone until you start to suspect every single character. That's what I want. I want you all to really think about every character it could be. This story has been so much fun to write, but it's even more fun now that I decided to post it before I finish. The reviews I get are simply amazing and they make me want to leave work or school so I can go home and write more just to please you all. Sometimes after reading some I get scared that some people will figure it out before I finish but I guess it happens. I mean…there were a fair share of people who realized Harry was a horcrux before DH came out too lol.


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer:** **Still not making so much as a knut off this. Give it all to Jo.**

"Severus."

"Leave me."

"No. Talk to me."

"No. Leave me."

"Ok, I get it; you're upset. We shouldn't have been talking about you or Lily. I'm sorry. Will you talk to me now?"

"No."

It was three weeks since the altercation outside with Remus. After Snape had stalked inside, he had warded his door and stayed in his chambers the rest of the night, ignoring Hermione who was trying to get in. Clever though she may be, she was no match for Snape's wards.

He had not spoken to her at all in that time. For her lessons, she would come in and he would have instructions written on a board he put in his private lab. He would arrive late and leave early for breakfast and dinner and skip lunch altogether.

Through Dumbledore and Draco, he learned that she had gotten two more letters delivered in that time. Both just threatened her like usual with no new developments. That actually worried Dumbledore far greater than if he _had_ put something new in them.

Once, Severus was alerted through his ring that Hermione may be in potential danger. When he followed his ring and it led him to the Hospital Wing, he found that someone had used a hex to trip her. She fell down one moving staircase, luckily coming to rest on a stationary landing instead of rolling off in mid-swing. She had a broken leg and a concussion, both of which Madam Pomfrey heal in a thrice. After being assured by Poppy that Hermione was ok, he left without a word or glance at Hermione.

Remus hadn't spoken to her outside of class either, but he wasn't ignoring her in class. He was acting like a normal professor should.

Draco and Harry didn't know what to make of it. Things were getting ugly and fast. Draco felt that Lucius was getting anxious, which was leading him to his attacks on her. If he found out that Severus and Hermione were on the outs, it could be disastrous.

Currently, Hermione was in Snape's quarters trying to force him to talk to her.

"Listen, Draco said that it could be dangerous if Lucius were to find out that we are arguing," she told him, hands on her hips.

"I don't care what Draco says. And we aren't arguing; arguing consists of talking and last I checked, I wasn't speaking with you," he said idly as he stared into his fireplace. An almost empty bottle of firewhiskey sat next to him.

"You're being so immature about this!" Hermione finally snapped, pleased to see that her outburst made Snape's hand tighten on his bottle as he paused while bringing it to his lips again.

"I think it's time you leave, Miss Granger."

"Don't act like this, Severus-," she started but he cut her off.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for use of my first name when you don't have the permission to do so."

"What?"

"Shall I make it thirty?"

"What is your problem? I apologized!"

In the next moment, he was on his feet towering over her. "What is _your_ problem, Hermione? Why couldn't you just leave well enough alone?"

"Excuse me?"

"Draco told me weeks ago that you all had been discussing Lily and he _warned_ you to back off. He _warned _you not to get involved."

"He _warned _me not to ask _you_, SEVERUS, and I didn't. Harry started talking about it," she shot at him.

"And _you_ asked about her! You just _had_ to know everything! You know, for the cleverest witch of your age, you really can be a dumbass sometimes."

"I just want to know what went on!"

"No."

"Just fucking _talk_ to me, Severus! It's not even that big of a deal!"

"Then why are you pushing? I don't wish to speak about it!"

"I just wanted to know the whole story!" she yelled at him, getting pissed.

"IT'S NOT YOUR STORY TO KNOW!"

"It is if-"

"Yes, yes, if it affects the 'man I love'. Those were your words, right Hermione?" He smirked evilly as she turned red. "That doesn't give you the right to pry into my past!"

"Well, I think it does! I wanted to understand! I wanted to know!"

"You'll never understand what we had!"

"That's because you didn't have ANYTHING, no matter how much you wanted to! She never wanted you! You were just stuck on her because she was the first person to show you affection!"

She gasped after the words left her mouth and Snape went still.

"You think you understand anything that happened? Get out!"

"No! I just wanted to know, Severus! I wanted to know how you could love her so much! I wanted to know what that was like! I just wanted to understand!"

"YOU'LL NEVER KNOW! YOU'RE NOT LILY! YOU'LL ALWAYS BE SECOND BEST TO HER NO MATTTER WHAT SHE DID! EVEN WITH HER DEAD AND GONE, YOU STILL DON'T HOLD A CANDLE TO HER! YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHAT LOVE IS? YOU KNOW NOTHING! NOW GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE BEFORE I HAND YOU OVER TO LUCIUS MYSELF!"

His chambers were silent as his words washed over them both. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth again, but he couldn't think of what to say. She turned and ran from his room, narrowly avoiding the shattering glass over her head as Snape threw the bottle.

XXX

Draco and Harry were sitting and watching T.V. when Hermione came barreling in and ran towards her room, sobbing. With reflexes of a seeker, and from years of paranoid training, Harry jumped up and grabbed her before she got to her door.

She beat against him for a minute while he tried to soothe her. Finally, she started to calm down. She was still crying, but she was no longer trying to beat up her best friend.

"Hermione! What happened?"

"I'm assuming it didn't go well?" Draco asked cautiously as he came to stand next to them, earning him a glare and an elbow to the ribs from his boyfriend.

Harry led her over to the couch and little by little the story came out.

"He threatened to hand you over to Lucius?" Harry hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"He was just upset; he didn't mean it," Draco said dismissively.

"That doesn't matter!" Harry said.

"Sure it does. It matters a lot. If he meant it, then we'd have a problem. Since he didn't, we have less of a problem. If he meant it, we'd be dealing with Severus _and_ Lucius. Since he didn't, we're just dealing with Severus having a tantrum," Draco explained innocently. "I know my godfather, Hermione. Just stay out of his way for awhile. Eventually he'll realize what he said. For the time being, however, it's _vital_ that you don't let on to _anyone_ that this happened. We can't have it getting back to the spy."

"Wow, you're really supportive and comforting, Draco," Harry said, rolling his eyes as he held the still sniffling Hermione.

Draco sighed in exasperation. "I'm _logical_, Harry. Sometimes it takes front seat to comforting. Listen, they both messed up royally. I'm not saying that Severus was right in how he reacted but Hermione made mistakes as well. I'd rather concentrate on keeping her alive long enough for them to make up, okay?"

"Good thing I'm dating him; I would hate to go to him to talk to after him and I have a fight," he mumbled to Hermione, who gave a shaky chuckle.

"I'd probably tell you to quit your bitching," Draco agreed idly and pressed play on the movie.

XXX

It was almost two a.m. and Snape was still sitting in his chair staring at the door and the broken glass still littering the floor around it. The only things that had changed were the levels on the whiskey bottles he drank.

He had threatened to hand her over to Lucius. What in the _hell_ had he been thinking?

Oh wait; he hadn't been.

She was so infuriating! And as childish as it seemed, he could only think: _well…she started it._

She never should have pried. It wasn't her business to know and she should _know_ that! She knew from the beginning that the subject of _her_ was off limits.

He knew it was a mistake to tell Potter.

However, he enjoyed hearing Harry call his own father an asshole. He didn't even get the urge to hex him when he called _her_ a bitch, which surprised him.

He wasn't expecting that reaction from Lupin. And he definitely wasn't expecting that response from Hermione. He wasn't even sure if she realized she had said she loved him.

Snape scoffed, the noise sounding loud in his otherwise quiet chambers.

Love. She actually thought she loved him. She's too young to know what real love is.

_Ah, but weren't you younger than she is now when you decided you loved Lily?_ his traitorous mind offered. Besides, his situation was different from Hermione's.

_It's different because this time the girl actually reciprocates your feelings._

Preposterous! He fancied the young chit, sure, but nothing more. She was just attached to him because of a hero worship for him stepping in to protect her. When all this business with Lucius is finished, she'll wise up and leave. It's what women do, after all. Lily left. Hermione will too.

_Lily died, and she was never yours, therefore she could never leave you._

"SHUT UP!" For a few moments, Snape glared around his empty chambers before realizing how ridiculous he must look, yelling to air. He picked up his whiskey bottle, but when it passed in front of the fire place, the light made the liquor shine like the color of her hair.

He flung the half empty bottle at a wall, feeling a moment of satisfaction when he heard it shatter. He was lucky that it was a Friday night; he didn't think he'd be in the best shape to teach in the morning.

He glanced drunkenly around his rooms, doing a double take when he saw the same green as her eyes. It was just his good quill, a gift from Dumbledore a few Christmas' past.

Suddenly, everywhere he looked he saw something reminding him of her. He stood up and started blasting everything he could with his wand: the green throw pillow, the red quilt Hermione had left, a charms book left out. He was turning wildly around in his inebriated state, eyes wide and stumbling, shooting off spells. Finally, he turned to a mirror above his fireplace and saw himself pointing a wand at his reflection. For a moment, he glared at himself with hate before his face crumpled slightly and he completely destroyed the mirror.

Falling to his hands and knees before the fireplace, Snape started to vomit until he was just dry heaving. A quickvanishing charm later and all traces of his sick were gone. His floor was clean, as were his robes and his chin. All that remained on his face were the tear tracks. -

Snape stayed crouched on the floor for a few minutes trying to compose himself.

"Hey Sev."

"Go away," he said, still staring at the ground.

"Don't be like that. We need to talk."

"I said leave me, woman!" he snapped. "You're not real!" He sat up fully and glanced around his empty chambers. "You're not real," he repeated quietly.

"Then why do you let me run your life?"

"Stop it, Lily," he warned the voice he knew to be coming from his own mind.

"You're the one thinking me up, Sev. You really fucked up this time didn't you?"

"Shut up," he said out loud, closing his eyes.

"First, you can't get me, then you can't even protect me from dying, and here you are again except this time, she likes you and you _still_ can't keep her from dying!"

"Shut UP!"

"You let me DIE, Severus! How is that love?"

"It wasn't my fault! I tried to plead with him! I tried to save you!"

"Too little, too late Severus!"

"Shut up!" he yelled.

"You must not have cared very much, or tried very hard. Luckily, it was a quick death."

"I tried! I pleaded and pleaded and Dumbledore said he would keep you safe! It was your fault! You and Potter trusted that rat, Peter! I told you not to! I told you to keep Black your Secret Keeper or change to Dumbledore! I tried!"

"You killed me, Severus! You're still just a dirty death eater! You ki-"

"NO I DIDN'T! It wasn't my fault! I did all I could! Hermione showed me that! I've more than paid for my mistakes! Now LEAVE ME BE!"

His chambers were silent for a few minutes. The only noises to be heard were the popping and cracking of the fire and the soft gasps and sobs of the dark man kneeling before it.

"Lily?" There was no answer, in his rooms or in his head. "Lily? Don't leave me again! Lily! LILY!"

Only silence greeted his yells and Severus started to softly cry once more.

XXX

A few floors above the dungeons, Hermione lay awake in her room staring at the opposite wall, trying to convince her heart to mend itself.

Trying to convince herself that you can't have a broken heart over a man you didn't love.

XXX

Somewhere on the castle grounds, a plot was forming in the mind of one person as they lay on their back, staring at the ceiling and grinning malevolently.

Time was running out.

Plans had to be re-done after the bit of news they had found out.

Now was the time to strike, before Hermione and Snape could make up.

XXX

Back in Snape's rooms, he had moved back into his chair in front of the fire instead of the floor. He had been hunched over for hours, head in his hands, and elbows on his knees. The pink tint of dawn was starting to come up through one of the only windows in his dungeon. His back hurt, he was starting to get a headache from the liquor and events that followed, and he was in desperate need of a shower.

Yet still he sat.

Still he thought.

Try as he might, and he had _tried_, he couldn't get his mind to conjure Lily's voice again. Or what he assumed to be Lily's voice. Even he had to admit that it had been over eighteen years since he had last heard it in person. Sure, he had pensieve memories, but those weren't the same.

He could, however, hear Hermione's voice loud and clear. He had tried to banish it like he did with Lily's, but it stayed. He also tried to get rid of the memory of her face after he yelled at her last night out of his mind, but he failed at that too.

He had no idea what any of it meant, and frankly he was too hung over and upset to figure out any riddles or deeper meanings. He forced himself to concentrate on the things he was certain of: Lily was dead; Lily had never been in love with him; Hermione believed she loved him; he was supposed to protect Hermione and he was failing; he didn't know how he felt about either woman anymore; he was happy when we was around Lily; he was happy when he was around Hermione.

Slowly, so slowly, he lifted his head. He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath; he knew what he had to do.

"_Expecto patronum_," he whispered with his eyes still closed; he was afraid.

Finally, he opened his eyes and looked into the patronus-eyes of a doe; his doe, Lily's doe.

He knew. But knowing and doing are two separate issues altogether.

He took a deep breath. Then another. And then one more, just in case. He let his eyes fall closed again, and behind his eyelids he saw her face. He may not know how he felt about her anymore, but he couldn't stop himself from seeing her face: he saw the hair that he loved, the silky feel of it; he saw the bright eyes, full of wonder and intelligence; he saw her smile; he saw her smile and hug Potter in the Great Hall before turning towards his table and giving him an even brighter smile. He saw Hermione.

Finally, he opened his eyes. His patronus had stayed standing in front of him like it had done so many times in the past when he had felt maudlin.

"It's time," he said quietly. His doe cocked her head. "You're dead, it's true. But you never were mine to begin with, and you never wanted to be, so you never truly left _me_. I lost my best friend that night, and for so long I felt that it meant I had lost you. So I clung to your memory in an unhealthy way, and used it to fuel me forward. I should have been using your memory to motivate me, but instead I used it in bitterness. You don't deserve that. I know that you would never have said the things that constantly passed through my mind. I loved you, Lily. Because of you, I had the strength to finish the war. Because of you, I protected your son the best I could. You would be…proud…of him, Lily. He won't be getting married to a fine witch at any point in the future, but he is definitely your son. He's strong-willed, stubborn, and damn powerful, especially in defensive magic. He could have taken your husband on and most likely won. But he is also his own person. You should have been able to meet him, especially as he is now."

Snape blinked a few times. "I _miss you_, Lily," he said hoarsely. "But I missed you for the wrong reasons. I need to miss your laugh and smile the way they were when we would joke. I need to be able to look your son in the eye and _not_ want to hole up in my room for days."

He stared hard at the doe for a few seconds, as if memorizing everything about it. Finally, he closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

Keeping his eyes shut, he whispered, "I don't _need_ you anymore, Lily. I know this now."

Opening his eyes, he caught the last wisps of blue as his patronus dissolved.

Breathing hitched a little, and voice caught in his throat, Severus Snape raised his wand with a slightly trembling hand.

For the second time that night, he whispered, "_Expecto patronum._"

A bright blue lynx, brighter than his doe, came out of his wand and jumped onto the opposite chair where it curled up like a cat.

Snape put his head back into his trembling hands.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXx

A/N: Ok, so I know this was a super short chapter but I just couldn't make myself type anything after that last bit; it was the perfect chapter ending.I will admit that as I wrote this last Snape part, my eyes welled up. It was hard.

As most of you probably caught, the line "for the cleverest witch of your age, you really can be a dumbass sometimes" is from the hilarious youtube musical, A Very Potter Musical, except it was spoken by Dumbledore.

The next chapter is coming along. It won't be much longer until the end. I don't want to be one of those people that drag their stories out just for the sake of chapter numbers.

(btw, I finally went back and fixed every chapter so now they all have XXX for breaks)

Thank you, again and always, for your reviews!


	32. Chapter 32

**DISCLAIMER: I solemnly swear that I do not own anything that pertains to HP. I just play with them.**

"Severus looks like shit," Draco mumbled into his goblet the following Monday morning at breakfast. Both Harry and Hermione took a discreet peek at the Potions Master. He was staring down at his food, not touching it, with bags under his eyes. For once, he wasn't glaring or sneering at any students. "I wonder what's up with him."

Hermione just turned back to her food and continued pushing things around on her plate. She wanted to know what was wrong with Severus but knew her inquiries wouldn't be welcome; she knew _she_ wouldn't be welcome.

"Hey, Hermione, are you ok?" She looked up to see Neville staring at her with concern. "I heard about you and Snape fighting…I'm sorry. I hope it works out. You've been looking so happy all year."

Hermione fought to keep her eyes from widening with surprise or panic. How did he know they fought? Who else knew? Beside her, she felt Draco still and could almost feel the tension rolling off of Harry from his other side. On their end of the table, she could see many students eating with too much enthusiasm to be real, all waiting to hear more gossip.

She cleared her throat. "I'm fine Neville, but thanks for asking. Severus and I are doing fine, actually."

"Really? It's all over Gryffindor…and the rest of the school. Apparently, someone saw you running from his chambers in tears and heard glass breaking," he said.

"What would a Gryffindor be doing wandering around the dungeons?" she asked.

Neville thought for a moment. "I never thought of that. You're right. It's probably just some stupid rumor someone made up. You're lucky you're not in his class anymore; I bet that's why he looks so miserable."

Hermione smiled weakly and went back to her food, wondering who had been following her.

XXX

"Hermione, may I speak with you?"

Hermione froze as his voice rolled over her. Refusing to turn around and look at him, she said, "I'm sorry _Professor_, but I'm helping the first and second year Gryffindors with their studying at the moment."

It was almost four in the afternoon and she was seated in the library surrounded by most of the first and second year Gryffindors who had agreed to her offer to help them all study, knowing they would be learning from the best. She had just gone over how to properly take notes while reading when Snape had come up behind her.

Now all of the children were staring at her and she forced herself to keep her emotions from showing on her face.

"It won't take long, Hermione. I'm sure your children won't destroy themselves or the books. We will be standing just over here."

Closing her eyes briefly, she considered saying no again.

"Please, Hermione."

Those two words broke her resolve and she nodded slightly. She got up and walked with him a few meters away, neither one noticing the pair of eyes watching them intently with rising panic and anger.

Snape cast his protective wards that he normally cast when he wanted a private conversation.

"Hermione, we must talk."

"I thought that was what we were doing, Professor."

"Stop calling me that," he snapped.

"You're the one who _took points from me_ for addressing you informally, _sir_," she replied waspishly.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "I apologize for that. I'll have you know, however, that it appears the Headmaster disabled the ability for me to take points from you. Apparently, he didn't deem it fair because of our involvement."

"Our involvement," she repeated, blinking up at him. It sounded so crass that way.

"For Merlin's sake, woman, you know what I mean! Our relationship! This is difficult for me, you know," he spat.

"Oh, I'm sorry if having a glass thrown at _my_ head and _me _being screamed at and _me _being _threatened_ by the man I'm _involved with_ is difficult for _you,_" she snapped back.

"Don't go playing the fucking victim, Hermione," he hissed. "Yes, I lost my temper and I know that. For that, I'm sorry. And I never should have said that about handing you over to Lucius, but you and I both know I didn't mean it. As for the glass, it was a scare tactic as much as it was me letting off anger: all my glasses are charmed to never hit anyone. And maybe I shouldn't have yelled as much, but you gave me reason to. You snooped when you shouldn't have and you pried when you should have backed off."

"I can't believe you're turning this back on me!" she nearly yelled, then remembered that no one could hear them anyway.

"I'm turning this on _both of us_," he said. "We both need to admit fault in this. I can forgive you for meddling in my business."

"Wow, what a heartfelt apology," she said sarcastically.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING HERE? I'M APOLOGIZING! Merlin, woman!"

"Fine. Whatever. I forgive you for throwing shit at my head and screaming at me and threatening to hand me over to Lucius. Can I leave now?"

"Do I not warrant an apology?"

"For what? I still don't believe I did anything wrong."

"You're so obtuse sometimes, Hermione! You can't see anything beyond your own fucking nose and believe that you're always right. Just because you can _justify_ what you did, doesn't mean you were right in doing it! You _knew_ how I felt about my past and how I felt about sharing information I didn't wish to!"

"I'm your girlfriend!"

"So that gives you the right to pry into every detail of my life? That gives you the right to violate my privacy on an issue I would rather not talk about?"

"You needed to talk about it!"

"You're not my therapist, Hermione! And even when you came back to talk, you pried again, and again, pushing me and pushing me! And you wonder why I snapped?"

They both glared at the other for a few seconds before Snape sighed. The fight seemed to leave his eyes and he once again looked like he had that morning: downtrodden and depressed.

"I apologized, Hermione. Even you must know what that took of me. I'm willing to take that step. Why aren't you?"

Before she could respond, he lowered the wards and walked out of the library.

The person watching them smiled in glee.

XXX

It was almost three-thirty in the morning and Hermione lay in her bed staring at the ceiling going over the conversation Severus and she had earlier. She knew she should have apologized and that he was right. She knew that every time she justified something in her head, she felt it was right.

She was just so angry! All she had wanted was for him to speak to her, but when he did all she wanted was for him to leave her alone!

She couldn't get the way he looked all day out of her head, though. And for her to _know_ that she was at least a contributing reason for that look made her feel like shit.

As she saw his dead, haunted looking eyes, she felt her heart twinge. She had said she loved him, but now she wasn't sure. Surely, if she loved him, she wouldn't be acting this way? Surely, if she loved him, she wouldn't be such a bitch, and she would be able to apologize, right? She felt the hot tears running down her face but made no move to wipe them free.

Suddenly, her room seemed stuffy and oppressive. She needed to get out, walk around somewhere. She was grateful, once again, for her Head Girl status giving her no curfew. Maybe if she did a few rounds she would feel better.

Walking out of her room, she noticed Harry's book bag lying on the couch, which meant he must be sleeping over in Draco's room.

Trying not to feel bitter or jealous, Hermione quietly left. She thought about leaving a note, but she had the tracking necklace and ring on and she would be back within the hour.

A half hour later, she was wandering the castle sticking close to the walls. Something felt off to her; something had felt off all day, ever since Neville let slip that someone had followed her. She tried brushing it off as paranoia but the war-weary part of her demanded she stay alert and cautious.

The back of her neck continued to prickle throughout her rounds, but every time she turned around, she was alone. She would continually scan for a disillusionment charm, but she never found anything.

Wand at the ready, not standard practice for a student on patrol, Hermione continued on. She knew that she should return to her dorm, but her natural curiosity was getting the best of her.

Thinking she saw something out of the corner of her eye, she spun around with a spell on her lips, but she was greeted with a dark corridor. Sighing at her own paranoia, she turned around and was promptly face to chest with Severus.

Stifling a scream, Hermione found herself with his hand over her mouth.

"Quiet, woman!" he hissed. "You know I wouldn't hurt you!"

Wrenching his hand from her mouth, she glared fiercely at him. "Not with your _wand_." As soon as the words were out, Hermione felt ashamed. She heard him take a shuddering deep breath and then stepped back from her.

"My apologies, Hermione. You caught me unawares and startled me. I am not accustomed to seeing others walking around this time of night and we both ran into the other at the same time. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"No, it's not your fault. I was already jumpy. I kept thinking that someone was following me, but there never was."

"Following you? Are you sure you checked thoroughly?" he asked while scanning the corridor.

"Yes. I've been off balance all day, though, so I'm not sure it's not just me being paranoid."

"I would rather be paranoid than dead," Snape said, still looking around. "And I have not been myself today, as well."

They both had a moment of awkwardness. Hermione felt the urge to apologize for everything but didn't know how to start.

Finally, Snape cleared his throat. "Goodnight, Hermione. You should get back to your dorm. I'll see you in the later morning." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked off.

She wanted to call out his name, but decided it would be best if she waited until the morning. She promised herself that she would corner him after breakfast and apologize.

Deciding to go back to her room and sleep, Hermione set off back in the direction she had come.

She never made it.

XXX

Snape's ring flared for a moment, and then went back to normal. He figured she probably got scared by a cat or something; she _had _said she was jumpy. He faltered in his step, thinking he should have offered to walk her to her dorm. He had a really bad feeling. He ran back to where he had just seen her not three minutes before, but she was gone, as were the next few corridors.

"Hermione!" he whispered, face draining of color. He ran back to his quarters.

XXX

Back in the Head dorm, Draco and Harry both sat upright, grasping their wrists in unison as a pendant on both burned. A second later, the burning stopped.

Both boys looked at the other in alarm before simultaneously jumping out of bed and running for her room.

"Hermione!" Harry started to yell before he even got there, Draco on his heels. Harry didn't even pause to wonder if she had wards up; the door burst open as he neared it. Both men saw her empty bed and did a quick search of the room.

"Ok, I'm going to floo Severus. If there was ever a reason to use the floo in here, this is it," Draco said, thinking fast as he stuck his head in the fireplace, throwing down some powder. "Severus' chambers! Severus! Severus, are you there? Severus!"

Harry knelt next to Draco and stuck his head through with him just in time to see Snape running from around a corner.

"I just walked in my door," Snape explained as he dropped to one knee before them. "Hermione?"

Draco shook his head as Snape's pale face somehow got even more sallow.

"Come through."

Both men walked through the fireplace into his chambers.

"What happened?"

Draco explained about waking up to a burning bracelet and checking and seeing she was gone.

"I just saw her. She said she was jumpy and paranoid. Could it have been like when my ring alerted me when you were all talking with Remus?"

"I don't think so. My charm deals more with her state of mind rather than her emotions. I knew she was more logical than emotional even when she doesn't show it and I didn't want to be alerted every time she cried, just when she was in danger," Draco said.

"Harry, send word to Remus. I'm going to send a patronus to the Headmaster," Snape said as he whipped out his wand. "Draco, send your patronus on a hunt for her. Do you remember the spell?" Draco nodded and shot a huge lion out of his wand where it passed a stag and a lynx.

Harry looked quizzically at the lynx and Snape eyed him as if daring to ask, but Harry just shrugged and started to pace.

A few minutes went by before Snape's fireplace flared green.

"Severus, may I step through?" they heard Remus ask. Snape said yes and their Defense teacher stepped out of the hearth. "Any luck?" Three heads shook their heads in the negative. A second later, the fireplace flared green again and Dumbledore walked through.

"Hermione Granger is no longer on castle grounds," he announced, looking grave. "I just checked the wards and she is missing. Please, explain to me what happened."

When the story was finished, all occupants were glaring at Snape.

"You should have walked her back, Severus," Dumbledore said.

"I know! I turned around but she was already gone!" Snape had his hands in his hair, facing the fireplace.

"Ok, well, how do we get her back? We need a plan! Use those pieces of jewelry you gave her!" Remus nearly shouted; he had never seen Snape drop his calm façade before.

"While you do that, Headmaster…can you check the wards for other missing students?" Harry asked, eyeing Dumbledore.

"The spy," Draco whispered.

Snape spun around, face murderous but distant demeanor back in place.

"Miss Weasley," he spat.

Dumbledore nodded and stepped through the fireplace while Snape asked Draco to try feeling for Hermione through the necklace as he tried with the ring.

"I can feel her…but barely. Like there's some kind of block!" Draco said, straining.

"I feel it as well," Snape muttered.

Dumbledore walked back through the fireplace a few seconds later.

"You were wise for having me check, Harry. We are indeed short one person from Gryffindor tower," he said, brows furrowed.

"Who?" Snape whispered furiously.

XXX

Hermione struggled to open her eyes. She was really getting tired of being hurt and waking up in strange places. She had the feeling she had been unconscious for a couple hours. She felt like she was tied to a pole.

A pole? That didn't make any sense. She fought to think of what had happened. She remembered going on rounds, turning the corner to go back to her dorm and then…she was here. She heard a girl laugh; it sounded familiar but she couldn't place it.

Finally she got her eyes to open. The first thing she noticed was the sky. It was black as if it were still night time, which it probably was. Yet there was something oppressive about the color. It was _too_ black. If she looked hard enough, she thought she saw the forming wisps of clouds slowly start to churn together.

Then she looked straight ahead.

Straight into the eyes of Lucius Malfoy.

XXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: I know, I know! You hate me! I'm sorry! But finally, after all the waiting, you will get to find out who the spy is….in the next chapter lmao. I'm so excited! I'm guessing there will only be a few more chapters to finish it out, and then it's done. So most likely I'll only update MAYBE once more, but after that, for sure, I'll just wait until it's completely finished before posting.

Keep reviewing!


	33. Chapter 33

**DISCLAIMER: I solemnly swear that I do not own anything that pertains to HP. I just play with them.**

Two hours had passed since Hermione had been taken and the occupants in Snape's chambers were still furiously working on a plan to find her. Suddenly, three men hissed and made a grab towards their arms.

Harry and Draco both had a hand over their bracelets, staring wide-eyed at the Potions Master who had instinctively grabbed his left forearm before slowly moving his hand towards his ring.

"This one is lasting a lot longer," Harry said through gritted teeth. He thought he was going to have an 'H' scorched into his wrist by the end of it.

"She's afraid. It feels different than the last one. The last one was fear and surprise but was over quickly; probably because she was stunned. This one is pure fear. I bet she just woke up," Snape said, twisting his ring.

"What time is it?" Remus asked, suddenly.

"I think it's about six a.m. or so. Why?" Draco asked, clearly irritated at the pointless question.

Their Defense teacher pointed out the window. "In all my years of being here, the sun has always raised around five or so during the spring. Look outside; it's still dark as if it were midnight!"

"'_And so begins the endless night',_" Harry said quietly and everyone looked at him. "Remember?"

"_A plot to use the lioness's blood, to suck the power from the mud…,'_" Draco whispered.

"'_Will make the evil grow in might, and so begins the endless night,'_' Dumbledore finished. "Quickly, we must figure out what to do!"

"I know there's a slight block in our trackers, but we can still feel her. Can't we just follow them anyway?" Harry asked.

"I was thinking the same, Harry," Snape said, as he finished stirring a potion he had been working on. "I have modified the tracking potion I used when she ran to the Room of Requirement. This should allow us to search over a wider area, depending on the size of our map. I also strengthened it so hopefully it will get across the magical barriers Lucius has set up."

"Brilliant, Severus!" Remus said, while Dumbledore nodded.

"Here, Severus," Draco said, handing Snape a map of the world. Snape quirked an eyebrow at him. "Well, it's a large map that shows EVERYWHERE. I'm not going to have you waste your potion just because she isn't in bloody Scotland!"

"Everyone, stand back to the edges of the room," Snape said. When everyone had moved, she swept his wand over his room and all of his furniture and other items folded themselves up and flattened against the walls as well, leaving the room practically bare. Next, he laid the map in the center and with another sweep of his wand, the map started to grow until the corners nearly reached the walls. As it enlarged, all of the names of cities and countries were revealed better.

Snape walked back where his potion was and dipped his crystal into it until it was ready. He then walked back to the map and started to slowly walk over it. Every time the crystal pulled him in a direction, the other parts of the map would shrink, zooming in on the part he was looking at. He had gotten the idea from something called Google that Hermione had showed him over the holidays. Soon, he was standing over England.

"Fuck it all, that man is so cliché, it's embarrassing," Snape muttered.

"What? Where is she?" Harry asked.

Draco walked across the map to where Snape was standing and sighed as it began zooming again.

"Stonehenge," they said together. A second later, however, the crystal was pulling off to the side, however.

"No, wait," Snape said. "He's in New Forest!"

XXX

_Don't panic, don't panic,_ Hermione kept repeating to herself.

"Hermione, so nice of you to join me," Lucius said, his voice sliding over her and making her wish for a shower. "I thought you would never wake up."

Hermione stared at him, taking in his appearance. He looked…_good_. She was surprised. After all his time on the run, how did he stay so healthy? It wasn't just his hair that was perfect as usual, it was his whole body. He looked well fed and rested. He looked better now than the last time she saw him, to be sure. Hell, he looked better now than the time _before_ the last time she saw him.

Lucius continued to smile at her. He was seated on a rock, completely calm, with his hands clasped on top of his crossed legs.

"You know, you worried me for a little bit, Hermione. For a while, I really thought that Snape cared for you and that getting you would be extremely difficult. As it turns out, it was quite simple once I decided to be patient. And walking around in the middle of the night? Bravo," Lucius said, and then slowly clapped. "I couldn't have planned it better myself."

"Where's your little helper? You're such a tough wizard, needing help from a child inside the school," Hermione sneered. She had no idea why she was taunting the man who held her life in his hands, but she couldn't stop the words from coming.

Lucius looked confused for a few moments before a smirk started to form on his mouth. Soon, it was broad smile and then he was throwing his head back and laughing. Now it was Hermione's turn to look confused.

Finally, Lucius seemed to calm down again. He stood up from the rock and started to slowly make his way towards Hermione.

"You want me to divulge who my spy is? I guess it can't hurt, since you won't have the opportunity to tell anyone. It took awhile to form, though. Good, trustworthy spies don't happen overnight. No, this took almost a year of planning before I knew it would work," he told her as he started to circle the pole she was tied to. She seemed to be in the middle of a small clearing in an unfamiliar forest, not like it helped her any.

"It was a Gryffindor, you know," Lucius continued.

"Ginny?" Hermione breathed, not wanting to believe it.

"That Weasley girl? No, no. Although, I noticed you all had a bit of a…break-up…if you will? No, I couldn't trust her to get me my information. I knew she would never do it. Although, she _did_ help me, she just didn't realize she was. Did you know that she sent one of the letters to Potter? So did my spy. So did I. In fact, I sent two. But they didn't work. You and that blasted son of mine talked him into believing that he was normal and whatever else you told him."

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ginny wasn't the spy? But she had sent one of those horrible letters to Harry anyway?

"Yes, but my spy was the one who planted the idea in Weasley's mind. She was so bitter and angry…it was only too easy. My spy saw one of my disgusting offspring's hidden kisses with Potter, and promptly ran to tell Weasley, planting the seed. After that, it was just a quick suggestion and the letters were being sent. Then, of course, you all had the falling out with the older Weasley, who _also_ helped me without realizing it!" The glee in Malfoy's voice was disgusting.

Hermione's eyes widened. Charlie?

"Yes, you see, the older Weasel decided to have more conversations with his sister because of guilt at not being around the dead Weasel. Ron, right? So, he would have heart-to-heart conversations with her and tell her all these things about you, how he was feeling and the like, and then she would somehow always wind up reporting it back. So, no, it was not Ginny _or_ Charlie Weasley," Lucius told her, coming to a stop in front of her.

"So who was it?" Hermione choked out, tears forming in her eyes. They had been accusing the wrong person for months, even though Ginny was still in no way innocent.

"I would have thought that with Dumbledore, Snape, and you all on the case, you all would have figured it out. I know you found out about the prophecy; didn't you _read it?_ It's written in there, very clearly," he said, smiling evilly.

Hermione furrowed her brows trying to remember the prophecy in its entirety. Her eyes started to widen as the color slowly drained from her face.

Lucius laughed out loud again. "I think you're finally catching on. _Pale Death lurks in safety's walls, hunting the heart which has taken all._ You know what they say, Hermione," he said, coming to stand next to her and whisper in her ear, "'if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself.'"

He stood back and closed his eyes. Breathing in deeply, he started to wave his wand in complicated twists all over his body. To her horror, he started to change right before her eyes. He didn't need polyjuice potion with the spells he was using.

When he finished, Hermione stared in terror and revulsion at the person before her. She felt sick to her stomach.

"Hi, I'm Emily Storm, Gryffindor first-year!" Lucius said in a girly voice Hermione had heard so many times.

Hermione promptly threw up as Lucius, parading as a young girl, danced around laughing.

XXX

"She's scared and repulsed," Snape said suddenly. He was grabbing potions and storing them in a small bag with an extension charm inside. "We must hurry."

They had spent the last ten or so minutes debating on the best course of action and Snape had had enough.

"I'm apparating there, Albus. I'm going to go save her, and that's final."

"Trying to apparate across countries is extremely tiring and time consuming, Severus!"

"Then make me a portkey, old man! If you don't, then I will, or I'll apparate anyway, difficulties be damned! Hermione could be dying!"

The headmaster looked at him for a few seconds before nodding tersely. He picked up one of Snape's stirring rods and concentrated for a moments before muttering "_portus" _and tapping it with his wand.

Snape strode forward to grab it from the headmaster, but Albus didn't let go. After a few not so subtle tugs, Snape raised his eyebrows to him in question.

"Let's get the bastard," Dumbledore said quietly, making every other person in the room start. Snape stared at him incredulously before giving him a rare smile and nodded.

"I'm coming as well," Draco said, and Harry nodded as they both stepped up to grab a portion of the spoon. When Snape went to object, Draco cut him off. "I broke my promise to her, Severus. I promised her at the beginning of the year that I wouldn't let him get to her. I _have_ to come."

"We all love Hermione here, Severus. We're all coming with," Harry said.

Dumbledore looked to Remus who had just walked forward to grab on as well. "Remus, I need you to stay here. Find Minerva and explain everything. Please."

Lupin nodded reluctantly to the Headmaster. "Be careful," he said. They all nodded and then they were gone.

XXX

"How?"

"Memories," Lucius replied, still in the form of Emily. "When I was able to escape being put in Azkaban, I knew that life wouldn't be the same as it was, so I decided to leave. I was going to pack up and move and form a new identity. So I started looking into the books in the Malfoy library and taught myself some that had been forgotten as time passed. While going through the books, I came across a poetry book from Tangio Santos. I had forgotten I had a copy! Curious, I started going through it, amusing myself as to the prophecies that I could pinpoint had come to pass. Then I saw one that made me drop my book. I knew this was it; it was fate," Lucius said, eyes wide.

"I spent the year laying a false trail about my movements. As I was doing that, I was developing a plan. I knew what I wanted, but how to get you? I knew you would be protected at Hogwarts. I knew polyjuice potion was out because after the mishap with Barty Jr. back in your fourth year, restrictions were set on buying the ingredients. I thought of merely disguising myself as people and buying it, but I abhorred the idea of taking it every hour. I was reading through the _Prophet_ one morning when I saw an article on the orphans of the war and it hit me," he said, smiling.

"I decided to become a muggle-born orphan. It was brilliant. One morning before the orphanage opened, I laid down on one of the steps curled up, looking like this, and waited for the owner to come outside to get the paper. When she saw me 'sleeping', she woke me up and I told her my story about how my mother had dropped me off in the middle of the night saying how I would be in better hands at this place because she couldn't take care of me. The woman ate it up, and I was in.

"Next, after I was there about a week, I decided to perform a little rudimentary magic that would be expected of an untrained wizard. Less than a day went by before a ministry official and McGonagall were at the door asking the owner if they could speak to me. I was deeply grateful that it wasn't Dumbledore. They explained that I was a witch and the ministry official wondered why there was no record of my name anywhere. I told them my mother never had me in a hospital because we were often homeless and she had me in a house full of her drug-addicted friends. I told them that she had only kept me around because a woman with a child produced more sympathy from people. Not the best lie, but I'm good at telling them. I told them that nothing magical had ever happened until the day before. They assumed that my magic hadn't manifested yet, which caused me to make it under their noses. McGonagall gave me a sack of money that she explained was from the school for children who had nothing so they could get their supplies and explained where to get them. I asked if I could go on my own to Diagon Alley since I was still trying to process everything. I told them I was used to doing things on my own. She agreed. This meant that I was able to bypass getting a wand and I just kept my own and gave it a glamour charm so it looked different."

"How did you trick the sorting hat? I was there! I saw you get sorted into Gryffindor!" Hermione said, still feeling sick.

"Being sorted into Gryffindor was a stroke of luck, actually. While out on field trips, in places I knew would be close to other wizarding areas, I would use the same type of pensieve spell for extracting memories, but I would do it on the other kids. I had some altered spells I found in my old books as well, giving me spells that allowed me to extract feelings as well. So, when it was my turn with the sorting hat, I tucked my personal memories away in my mind and blocked them and let the hat see inside my head and feel my emotions."

Hermione was shaking her head back and forth, trying to deny what he was telling her. It didn't make sense!

"Think, mudblood! I was there every time. When you first walked with Snape back to your rooms, at the masque, in the library, on the quidditch stands when Potter grabbed you. I was always there, always looking for the opportune moment. I could have had you at the masque, but I didn't know it was you until Snape walked forward with his mask off," Lucius explained.

"What about my cat? Did you curse a prefect to use the door?"

Lucius snorted. "Please. I used to be a prefect, mudblood. I knew about the door and how it worked and knew when you would be out."

"So, what, you fancy yourself the next Voldemort?" Hermione scoffed.

"The Dark Lord was a fool!" Lucius spat, looking quite deranged for a moment. "He had a brilliant mind but he wasted it! In his first reign, he was magnificent. When he came back, though, he was obsessed with Potter! He circled his entire world on killing some teenage kid! And for what? Because of a prophecy? He couldn't take over and _then_ go after him? No. He was _obsessed_ with Potter. He didn't even have plans for after he killed him. It was kill Potter, then take over the world. No middle steps. Well, I'm goin to change that. I'm going to have his powers and yours _and_ Potter's all mixed with mine. I will be unstoppable."

He looked at the sky where the rapidly forming clouds were continuing to churn. "I believe it's time." A few waves of his wand and the tall, blonde aristocrat was again standing in front of her.

Hermione didn't know what to do. She couldn't get to her wand, and she had been trying to channel enough wandless magic to break free while he talked but he seemed to have her magically bound. She had kept him talking for as long as possible, taking a leaf from Draco's _Bond_ movies and counting on Malfoy, as the villain, to tell his life story. This would usually be the time where the rescue or escape would happen, except this time, no one was coming.

She was alone.

And as she watched Lucius approach her, she could only think of Severus and how much she wished she could have apologized. She saw his face and heard his soft chuckle in her head. She wished she could tell him how she felt. She knew that her necklace and ring must be going crazy but she didn't have any hopes of them being able to track her down through all of this dark magic swirling about.

She just wanted to tell him she was sorry. She wanted to explain that she had felt jealous of his dead first love and that he was right. She wanted to tell him that she agreed that they both royally fucked up but she wanted it to be better. She wanted to tell him how much she loved their animated, and sometimes heated, conversations and debates.

She wanted to tell Severus that she loved him.

Lucius was talking now, but she couldn't hear him over the sound of her heart pounding. She didn't want to hear him anyway. Instead, she closed her eyes and thought of the man she loved.

XXX

"Dammit! I can feel her, but I don't know where she is! Fucking Malfoy has some strong shields up!" Snape said as the group tracked through the forest. Every time he thought he felt her, he would head in a direction only to lose the connection again.

Harry looked at Dumbledore. He seemed to be waiting for the old man to make a move, but when he didn't, Harry rolled his eyes.

"Severus!" he called out to the man already twenty paces ahead of the group.

"What?"

"Feel for her," Harry said.

Snape rolled his eyes. "That's what I've been _doing_, Potter!" he snarled.

"Not good enough!" Harry snapped. "Listen, I have a theory about the end of the prophecy. Her heart not being hers anymore…I think it pertains to you."

"What? Stop speaking in riddles! You sound like Dumbledore!"

"She loves you! '_Only when heart is no longer hers will the power settle scores'_! Try to reach out to her with your heart! Use whatever you feel for her to help boost your magic to find her! It will 'settle the score' because you will be able to fight back when she is unable to!"

Draco and Snape stared wide-eyed at Harry while Albus looked at him in admiration. Finally, Snape took a step back, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

He knew he cared for her. She was his patronus now, after all. He wanted more than anything to find her and keep her safe. When she was safe, and Lucius gone, she would be free to continue her life without him and move on. That's what he wanted, wasn't it?

No. NO! His mind reeled back at the force of anger that shot from Snape's every being. Hermione was _his_. He wanted her forever.

Forever? Could he really want her to stay with him forever? He thought of her face and her smile. He heard her debate with him, and saw the way she would bite her lip in concentration when doing schoolwork or a potion. He saw her curled up on his favorite chair in front of his fireplace with a book and asking how his day was after a particularly trying detention session.

_Yes,_ he thought. He wanted her forever.

He loved her. He loved Hermione.

The moment the thought went to his mind, he felt a wave of power so strong he staggered.

He could feel her! She was scared and helpless and projecting her love for him.

Opening his eyes, he snapped, "This way!" and took off into the forest.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: There. Now you know who the spy is. Now really, WHO guessed it? No lying. I worked hard on trying to keep it a mystery.


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to remind you that I don't own these characters? Or world?**

Hermione's eyes snapped open when she heard Lucius swear. He was whipping his head around and pointing his wand into the forest.

"It seems your boyfriend has discovered our location," he seethed. "I can feel him in my wards."

An angry bellow made Lucius turn to his left. There, Hermione saw Snape standing in front of Dumbledore, Harry, and Draco.

"Let her go, Lucius!" He yelled. "You're outnumbered! You won't be able to complete the ritual with us here now. Give up!"

"You really thought it would be that simple? You won't be getting her back!" Lucius laughed. They were both yelling now; the dark magic was creating a storm above them and the wind had picked up. "Crucio!"

Hermione watched as the spell shot towards Snape and he dodged. Soon, curses were flying back and forth. Even with four against one, they weren't gaining an edge for fear of accidently hitting her. Lucius was playing off of this and kept shooting a spell and then jumping behind her.

She saw Draco start to creep towards the forest, but so did Lucius.

"_Incarcerous! Crucio!"_ Hermione screamed as Draco lay writhing and screaming in pain whilst bound on the floor. Harry ran towards him and Lucius focused on shooting hexes at Dumbledore and Snape. He had dueled three-on-one while under the Dark Lord, so dueling these two powerful wizards was extremely close to that.

The wind was swirling faster now and Hermione could feel a sickening churning in her stomach and body at the dark magic surrounding them.

Lucius finally got under Snape's shield and Hermione watched him fall with a gasp of pain as Lucius' slicing hex cut a gash in his leg from knee to ankle.

"Severus!" she screamed and began trying to fight her way out again. Lucius just laughed at her while still fighting off Dumbledore.

"See your little mudblood, Severus? Do you?" He swiped his wand down her arm and she screamed again as blood started to drip out. "Look! I think I can see the mud in it! No, Potter!" She looked over to see him blast Harry back ten feet into a tree, then did the same to Draco whom Harry had just managed to free.

"Lucius! Don't you touch her! Don't you dare fucking touch her!" Snape yelled and grabbed Dumbledore's robes as he hauled himself up. He waved his wand at his leg and wrappings appeared around it, making him look part mummy.

"Don't touch whom, Severus?" Lucius asked gleefully, still shooting at them while dodging behind her. "Her?" He peeked around quick enough to flick his wand on her face, creating a few tiny cuts on it. "Do you _love_ her, Severus? Do you love the little mudblood? What is it with you? _Another _mudblood who has an attachment to a Potter? Do you never learn?"

He ran his wand down her bindings and grabbed her, forcing her in front of him. She tried to kick him, but he used a petrifying spell on her body, but not her face. She could still hear and see everything happening, but she couldn't move the rest of her. He had his wand pressed against her throat and was using her as a shield.

"You can't win now, Lucius! It's over!" Snape yelled back.

"Oh, I know that you have destroyed my plan, but I can still have a prize!" Lucius looked downright unhinged now. "Tell Severus how much you love him, mudblood. Let him hear the words finally." He flicked his wand again when she didn't speak and small cuts started to appear all over her visible skin. "Tell him!" He cut a gash in her forehead and blood started to run over her face.

Crying, her eyes fought to find him. He was staring in horror with Dumbledore holding him back.

She mouthed the three words: _I love you._

His eyes blazed with fury and pain.

"How does it feel to have failed in the protection of another witch you love? And just like before, Severus, HER BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS!"

With that, he swiped his wand across Hermione's neck.

XX

Snape saw it play out in slow motion. One second they had the upper hand, and the next…he was watching as blood came from Hermione's neck and caught in the fierce wind like red ribbons.

He was dimly aware of curses being called out, but he couldn't hear anything other than someone screaming Hermione's name over and over. He found himself kneeling at her side with no recollection of how he got there so fast. He felt a thud next to him as Lucius hit the ground, but he spared him no thought.

His only thought was Hermione and how to stop the bleeding. He needed to make her wake up.

"Hermione! Hermione, wake up! Don't leave me!" he heard the screaming but refused to believe it was coming from him. He saw his hand frantically tracing her neck with his wand. He needed potions.

As he spared a glance away from Hermione to grab his satchel with his potions, he saw Draco, crying, holding a struggling and crying Harry back. Harry seemed to be yelling as well, but he couldn't hear him. Nor could Snape hear Dumbledore as he knelt in front of him and tried to talk to him. He could only focus on getting the red to go away from Hermione.

XXX

"HERMIONE! NO!" Harry yelled as he saw the bastard cut her. Lucius stood there laughing as she fell, and suddenly Snape was in front of him. Snape was calling Hermione's name over and over again. As Snape got to them, he immediately went to kneel by Hermione while simultaneously slashing his wand through the air in front of Lucius.

Lucius crumpled to the floor and didn't stir.

All three rushed to Snape's side, and when Harry saw his best friend covered in blood, he lost it. Not again; it couldn't be happening _again_! He started to yell and run to his friend but Draco held him back.

"There's nothing you can do, Harry! Let Severus work! He knows the spells and had the potions!" Draco said in his ear but Harry couldn't comprehend the words. He kept struggling and crying and yelling for her, and felt tears from Draco fall and hit him.

Dumbledore dropped in front of Snape. "Severus! What can I do? Tell me what you need help with! I just sent word to Poppy to make an emergency portkey and come here. Severus!"

It was no use, though. Severus was in his own world trying to bring her back into theirs.

XXX

Hermione was confused. She was walking on the grounds of Hogwarts but she couldn't remember coming back. She knew she was just with Lucius. Was it all a bad dream? Her neck was sore and her head hurt a bit, but as she walked, it bothered her less and less.

"Hermione!"

Hermione started and turned toward the voice calling her. She hadn't heard it in so long!

"Ron?"

Her redheaded best friend ran to her and scooped her up in an enormous hug, twirling her around. Both laughing, he set her down again.

After a few seconds, though, his smile faded and he turned serious. "Hermione, you shouldn't be here. You don't belong here."

"Am I dead?"

"I can't say. Nearly there, I think. You can't stay here."

"What happened?"

"Malfoy got you bad, Hermione. Snape is working on you right now, so we don't have long…either way. But you have to go back!"

"Oh Ron, I miss you so much!" She threw her arms around her best friend and started to sob. "We needed you so bad this year!"

"It looks like you guys got along fine. I'm happy Harry stopped being such an ass about the Draco thing. And I wish I could kick Charlie's ass. And Ginny…she's so lost. Do me a favor, when you get back, and don't be too hard on her. Definitely let her know what she did and confront her, but help her the next few years. She's so alone."

"Ron, I never wanted anything to happen to you! I'm so sorry!"

"I know. Do you really think that I believed you WANTED me to die? We both knew the risks, and it could have easily been you that died. I'm sorry that I won't be there for everything, but I was willing to take that sacrifice. It wasn't meaningless; I died fighting for something I believed in." He looked around, starting to look alarmed. "Hermione, everything is starting to get clearer. That's bad. You need to go back. Listen, I'm fine here. There's nothing you can do for me now. But you don't belong here. I didn't get this chance that you're getting. I was dead before I hit the floor, so everything was super clear and I wasn't given the opportunity to go back. You can, though! And you need to! From what I've heard here, you're _happy _with Snape. And _he's_ happy, which is just weird to comprehend. And Harry needs you. I don't think he could go through losing _another_ best friend."

Hermione knew he was right. Already, she could barely feel the wound on her neck. "How do I go back?"

"That's easy: go back the way you came. Stop walking away," Ron said, giving her the smile she missed so much.

"Will I remember this? I want to tell Harry I saw you."

"I can't say. You might. Hey, if you do remember, tell my family I love them and that Percy, Dad, and I miss them like crazy but that they need to move on because we're fine. And, hey, I met Harry's mum and dad and WOW. Seriously, Hermione, Harry really does look like his dad. For a second I got scared and thought Harry had died as well. Tell him that they're super proud of him, and so is Sirius. And…tell him I love him, Hermione. Tell him I miss him and that it wasn't his fault. Tell him that I hope him and Draco stay together because they really do make each other happy, and that's what matters." He broke into a wide grin. "And I'm really proud of you too, Hermione. And I really hope that you and Professor Snape are happy. Merlin knows that we need more happiness in the world after what happened, wherever you can find it."

She gave him an enormous hug again, crying, and then started backing up. The farther she got, the more her neck hurt and the blurrier her surroundings got. Finally, Ron was just a red blur waving to her.

"I love you Ron!" she yelled, waving back. "I'll tell Harry you love him!"

"I love you too, Hermione," the voice was faint, but unmistakably Ron's.

Then there was black.

XXX

"Let me have a look at her, Severus!" Hermione heard Madam Pomfrey's voice.

"Leave me!" That was Severus. _He must be the one with his arms around me_, Hermione thought.

"Severus, there's nothing more you can do." That sounded like Dumbledore, only sadder.

"Hermione, no! DO SOMETHING, MADAM POMFREY! SNAPE! ANYBODY!" Harry's voice broke her heart and Hermione struggled to open her eyes, but she felt like a dead weight.

"Mr. Potter!" Pomfrey again. Hermione heard Draco's voice softly speaking to Harry.

"Hermione," her name was whispered by the distinctive voice of the Potions Master. "Hermione, please don't leave me. I love you. I love you so much. Wake up. These potions _have_ to do their job. Please, Hermione. Please. I love you." Then Hermione felt warm drops of moisture hit her face and she realized that he was crying.

With a herculean effort, Hermione drew all of her courage, love, and strength and forced her body to respond to her.

First, a finger twitch. She felt Snape freeze around her at that.

Then, her eyelids started to flutter as she attempted to force them open. Finally, they cracked enough to reveal a blood spattered, grimy face above her staring at her with disbelief. Snape had dirt and blood on his face mixed with his tears, twigs in his hair from the wind that had died out, and Hermione had never thought he looked more beautiful.

"Severus," she sighed and smiled tiredly.

"Hermione!" Snape hugged her to him and she felt him shake around her.

"Good lord, Severus, LET ME SEE HER!" Madam Pomfrey commanded and forced him back. He kept his arms around her but supported her as the mediwitch dod a scan on her. "Give her more blood restoration potion, and a pain reliever potion. I'll have to retrace the scar when we get back. With any luck, we'll be able to make it disappear, or at least minimize it."

"Hermione!" Harry was on her knees in front of her with his arms around her, squeezing what little life she had left back out of her. When he pulled back, she saw wet streaks on his face as well. Snape helped her take the potions and then helped her to stand when she demanded that she could.

Draco stepped forward next to hug her, then Dumbledore.

"Where's-," her voice cracked and she tried to clear her throat with difficulty. "Where is he?"

"Severus struck him down without knowing it and he hasn't moved since. Madam Pomfrey says he's alive but he has extensive internal wounds. Professor Dumbledore bound him up and sent word to some Aurors," Draco explained. "It was actually over rather quick. Other than you getting cut a few times, it was fairly anti-clamatic."

Harry elbowed him in the ribs.

XXX

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked Hermione as she sat propped up in her hospital bed.

"Perfectly well, and I wish Madam Pomfrey would let me go," she pouted.

"Not bloody likely. Trust me on this one, Hermione: she won't let you go until she sees fit," Snape said from the chair on the other side of her bed.

They had portkeyed back to Hogwarts where Madam Pomfrey promptly put her in a dreamless sleep while she worked on her. She had healed all lacerations and reported that Hermione should have little to no scarring from them. The only ones they were worried about was the forehead cut and the neck wound, obviously. Madam Pomfrey said the forehead scar would fade to nothing within the week, but not to be disappointed if her neck had a faint scar from now on.

She had finally woken up twenty minutes prior to find Snape, Harry, and Draco sitting around her bed. Draco had enlarged a chair into a loveseat and put cushions on it for Harry and himself. When she had opened her eyes they were both dozing, Draco with his head in Harry's lap and legs hanging off the end, snoring, and Harry sitting up with his head on top of the head rest, mouth open and drooling.

Turning her head, she found Snape staring at her from his chair, cheek on his fist, and elbow on the arm of the chair. They smiled at the other and she was about to speak when Poppy came around the curtain. She must have had a spell that tracks patients because it was just too coincidental. Harry and Draco had woken up when Poppy started to talk and Snape sent a patronus off, presumably to inform Dumbledore.

Finally, the check-up was complete, she was ruled to be in excellent health, but was still ordered to stay in the bed until further notice, which was the reason for her current complaint.

"Severus knows first-hand, Hermione," Dumbledore said, coming around the curtain and smiling. "She was the one to care for him when he would come back from Death Eater meetings." He conjured up a chair at the end of the bed and stared at her, suddenly serious. "I know this is much to ask of you, Hermione, but I need to know if you remember anything that Lucius told you while he had you captive. We still need to know about the spy."

"That's perfectly fine, Headmaster. You see…," she said, and told the entire story from when she woke up to when Lucius cut her. "And then…I was walking along the lake, here at Hogwarts."

"The lake, Hermione?" Snape asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. I was walking, and I think my neck hurt. I'm not too sure, everything is fuzzy. But I distinctly remember the lake. Then…then I saw Ron. He ran up to me and hugged me and then told me I didn't belong there. He told me I had to go back the way I came and come back here." She turned to look at Harry, tears already pricking at her eyes. "I asked if I would remember seeing him and he didn't know, but if I did, he had some messages for me. He said to tell his family that him, Percy, and Arthur miss them but they need to move on in life. He met your parents, Harry. He said that they're so proud of you. Sirius as well." Harry's eyes were looking dangerously wet and she knew her's were the same. Draco put his arm around his boyfriend and Harry leaned into him. Snape grabbed her hand.

"He said…he said to tell you he loves you, Harry," she said, voice breaking as the tears spilled out. At that, Harry's eyes overfilled as well and he turned his head into Draco's chest. "He said _he's_ proud of you and that he wants you and Draco to be happy forever." Harry gave a soft sob and Draco laid his cheek on Harry's head. She looked at Snape. "He also said that he hopes that you and I are happy, because after the war we need more happiness in the world and we should take it where we can find it." Snape squeezed her hand and Dumbledore gave a loud sniff.

"Words we can all live by," Dumbledore said.

"So, the whole prophecy is fulfilled then?" Draco asked.

"Oh yes," Dumbledore said gleefully. "In fact, Harry here figured out some crucial points of it."

"I _told_ you guys that it sounded almost familiar! So I discussed it with the Headmaster after that meeting, and yes, Draco, I lied to you about it. Professor Dumbledore didn't want me talking to anyone about what we thought we had discovered," Harry explained.

"Which was?" Draco asked, twirling his hand.

"Love," Harry and Dumbledore said together.

"Explain," Draco said.

Dumbledore started. "Obviously, _The nameless foe_ was, indeed, Voldemort like we said, and he met his end, with a broken body that was finally unfixable. The wizarding world seemed _ignorant of era not over yet_, because everyone was basking in the relief of no more Voldemort, yet the _darkest powers_ were, indeed, still to get, which is what Lucius tried."

"_Pale Death lurks in safety's walls_ was Lucius, quite cleverly," Hermione grumbled, "and he was hunting me, whom he blamed for his loss."

"Correct. Of course, we know about the plot for your blood, and the evil did indeed grow, as we witnessed with the swirling wind and the feel of dark magic. And the endless night was because it never got light out until after Lucius fell," Dumbledore continued, and then looked to Harry.

"This is where I started thinking. Severus, I told you to feel for her, and apparently she was doing the same. Her heart _no longer_ belonged to her because she had given it to you, and you settled the score by barging in and fighting for her. The magic of it was embraced, giving you both the strength to fight. Severus, it gave you the strength to pull yourself up and charge at him when he cut her throat, and Hermione, it gave you the strength to come back to us all," Harry explained.

"So what about that seemed familiar?" Draco asked.

"In my prophecy, it said I would _have powers the Dark Lord knows not_, which turned out to be love. This one said _for the magic both know not of will once again reign above_. It was love, again. Neither Hermione or Severus knew _this_ level of love, and it was once again the deciding factor that won the fight," Harry finished, looking very proud of himself.

"But…but what about…Lily?" Hermione asked hesitantly, looking at Severus.

He cleared his throat. "I came to realize that she was never mine and that I loved her…but I don't believe I was in love with her. I never felt for her what I feel for you," he said quietly, trying to make it so no one but she could hear. The others weren't fooled but wisely kept their mouths shut.

"Well, I believe that settles everything then," Dumbledore said and stood to walk away.

"Oh, sir," Hermione said, halting him. "He also asked that we…not be _too_ hard on Ginny, sir. He wants her to know exactly what she did wrong and confront her, but he wants us to help her the next few years. He said she's lost."

Dumbledore nodded slowly with a small smile before sweeping off.

Hermione looked over to Snape, where he still sat holding her hand and looking at her. In that moment, no one existed but them.

"It's all over," she said, smiling.

Snape's face froze for a second. Then he looked resigned. "Yes, it is. There's no more need to keep up appearances or play pretend anymore." He almost sounded wistful.

"Severus?" She said, and he raised an eyebrow in question. "I love you," Hermione said, finally able to say it out loud and to him.

His eyes showed relief and love and he gave her a rare, but full, bright smile. "As I love you, Hermione."

With that, he leaned in to kiss her.

XXXXX

A/N: WHEW! Emotional. Writing about Ron killed me. Well, that's it. Just the epilogue left.


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer:** **I love taking these characters out to play with, along with the wizarding world, but…alas…they don't belong to me.**

EPILOGUE: EIGHT YEARS LATER

"Severus! Hurry up or we're going to be late! He would _kill_ us, you know that!" Hermione yelled out of their door and into her husband's office.

The headmaster scowled and finished writing his memo, punctuating it with a particularly hard stab. "Merlin forbid _Mr. Potter_ get upset. I suppose I should start calling him _Minister Potter_ after today," he grumbled.

"Do I have to call him Minister Potter?" asked a small, sneering voice. Snape looked up from his desk and saw his 4-year-old song leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, unconsciously mimicking his father. Snape smiled and held out his arms and the boy ran to him.

"Daddy was just complaining, Cyrus," Hermione said idly as she walked out into the office with Snape's dress robe overcoat. Her pale green robes showed off her just-noticeable baby bump. "Like always."

A knock came and a second later, Harry walked in wearing bottle green dress robes and holding the hand of his adopted 3-year-old daughter, Karalyn.

"Aren't you ready _yet_, Severus? You used to be the punctual one," Harry said, winking at Hermione.

"No, I was the one who arrived precisely on time. _Hermione_ was the early but punctual one," Snape corrected, striding around his desk to pick up Kara.

"Uncle Sev! Daddy gonna be Mister of Magic today!" she squeaked out.

"Minister, honey, and daddy will kill us all if we don't get there in time!" Harry said. "Grandpa Albus and Gramma Minny will be there too!" Both kids clapped and squealed.

After graduation, Severus and Hermione had gotten engaged and married that following winter. A month later, Harry and Draco had also married and Draco had opted to take Harry's last name, saying that there was no fixing the Malfoy name.

Dumbledore retired 3 years later and appointed Snape as Headmaster. Next, McGonagall decided to retire with him, to no one's surprise, and asked Hermione to take her place as Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor.

Dumbledore's portrait now hung in the headmaster's office, but luckily it didn't start to talk until the headmaster was deceased. Snape had often wondered if there was a way to silence or kill a portrait.

Draco had immediately gone to work for the Ministry, trying to earn some new respect and change the wizarding world as much as he could. His smooth talking skills and sharp intellect helped him quickly move through the ranks.

Harry took the Flying Instructor job at Hogwarts when Madam Hooch decided to leave. He said he had enough defending himself against the Dark Arts and wanted the rest of his life to be enjoyable.

A little over three years after they were wed, Hermione and Severus discovered she was pregnant and less than a year later, Cyrus was born. She was now a few months along with their second child and they had yet to find out the gender. Hermione hoped for another boy while Severus secretly hoped for a girl. He had a soft spot for them after Harry and Draco had adopted Kara.

Both being only children and wanting a family, Draco and Harry thought about getting a surrogate mother, but in the end, they both agreed that they wanted to try adoption first. Kara was a beautiful little girl full of spunk with bright red curls and green eyes. They were already going through the process of trying to get another one.

Portkeying to the Ministry (Hermione was still able to for a few more weeks), they quickly made their way down to the enlarged auditorium for the ceremony.

Finally, they found their seats and sat down right as the event kicked off. Many wizards and witches got up to talk about how great Draco was and finally it was his turn to get up and make his speech.

He worked the crowd beautifully; he had them laughing and then serious at all the right times. Finally, he was coined the new official Minister of Magic. The crowd went wild.

After taking a bow a few times and waving, he purposely looked straight at a disgruntled witch in pink and winked evilly, waving to her specifically.

Harry was still on his feet clapping while Kara and Cyrus were standing on their chairs doing the same.

Snape put his hand on his wife's stomach with one hand as his other arm circled her waist.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"As I love you," she replied, turning her head to smile at him, eyes shining with tears of joy for her best friends and for them as well. Life was good. "Forever."

He leaned in to kiss her forehead and said, "Always."

_**~*Nox*~**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: OMG. So…that's it. I'm done. My first ever fanfic…FINISHED. Thank you to all who read it! Thank you to all who reviewed! If you didn't like the ending…I'm sorry. I had the ending planned out for months lol.

Thank you to everyone. Seriously.

I love Harry Potter, and I love fanfiction. I'll read HP until I can no longer read.

And when people see me with my wrinkled, gnarled hands grasping an HP book and ask, "After all this time?"

I'll reply, "Always."


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